Because of my own experience with being homeless, I am committed to helping others achieve personal growth as well as their well-being. I find helping others to be rewarding in itself in that as long as I make a positive difference in the life of others then I will know that I have impacted them to want to change his/her life. This is my personal experience that I feel that I can relate to the constant despair and frustration experienced by those who find it challenging to cope with everyday life or problems. I am convinced that increasing one’s own sense of empowerment can make the difference between a future of despondency and one filled with hope. With that in mind, here is my own personal struggle with being homeless.
I grew up in a single parent family household with my mother, who I frequently had arguments with. So, when I found out that I was going to have a baby, things just got worse between my mom and I. There was too much family conflict for my mom and I so I ended leaving and eventually was homeless. I ended up staying at my friends house for days at a time. Being homeless was hard for me because I did not have any place to go, and I had my differences with my mom. That was hard for me. Months later, I found a shelter at downtown “Skid Row” in Los Angeles. This was the worst part of the experience for me. Here I was homeless, about to have a baby, had no money, and no place to live. The hardest part of being homeless is feeling alone that nobody cares about your situation. When I met a social worker there at the shelter, this helped ease that feeling. I will always remember what she did for me. I told her of my situation with my mom and my about to have a baby. She was there for me when I needed someone to talk to. She encouraged me to resolve my feelings with my mother and go back home. So, when I moved back home, our relationship was slowly healing. But my about to have a baby did not make it any better. This was difficult for me at the time because I did not have a job or a place to live. It wasn’t until six months later that I had found a job as a Counselor with adolescents who experienced similar situation as I did. I started working and saved enough money to move into my apartment. From this experience, I learned that I had the ability to persevere through my most challenging times, developed empathy for people struggling with everyday problems, and most all having support from others, social workers makes a difference to overcome life’s challenges.
I am applying to the Master’s in Social Work Program because it is my goal to help others embrace their inner potential to make a positive life transition. Preparation to achieve my personal goal began while I worked at H.V. Group Home(a level 14 group home facility) as a Youth Counselor. My primary work responsibility was to serve as a positive role model for adolescents between the ages of twelve to eighteen. The adolescents had backgrounds such as being homeless, physical and sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and severe behavioral problems. At times, the position was extremely stressful, however, I discovered that I had the ability to connect with the adolescents and develop strong emotional ties. While working with them, I focused on several areas of treatment, including, coping skills, social skills, and independent living skills. My main ambition was to help them build their self-esteem and improve their sense of security. As a youth counselor, I have gained valuable experience in listening to people and helping them make positive decisions in order to improve their quality of their lives. My career goal targets working with vulnerable and oppressed individuals because I want to ensure that these groups of individuals have access to effective services, quality resources, and much needed guidance.
It is really good!
The only thing I noticed is that you started a sentence with “Because”. Some teachers hate that.
Good job!
“I focused on several areas of treatment, including, coping skills, social skills, and independent living skills”
Maybe you could try rephrasing that as “I focused on several areas of treatment, including; coping skills, and independent living skills.”
Some of my teachers write it that way, and others don’t. Also, I agree that starting a sentence with “because” isn’t the best way.
Other than that, this is really good! Good luck! ;)
-Bee
Due to my own past experience of being homeless, I am committed towards helping others to achieve personal growth and becoming involved in their well-being. I find that helping others is rewarding in itself and, as long as I make a positive difference in the life of others, I will know that I have made an impact towards their wanting to change his or her life. As a result of my personal experience, I have found that I can relate to the constant despair and frustration experienced by those who find it challenging to cope with everyday life and problems. I am also convinced that increasing one’s own sense of empowerment can make the difference between a future of despondency and one filled with hope. Keeping that in mind, here follows an outline of my own personal struggle homelessness.
I grew up in a single parent family household with my mother, with whom I frequently had arguments. When I found out that I was going to have a baby, things just became worse between my mom and myself. There was too much family conflict so I ended leaving and eventually was homeless and ended up staying at my friend’s house for days at a time. Being homeless was hard for me because I did not have any place to go and I had my differences with my mom.
Months later, I found a shelter at downtown “Skid Row” in Los Angeles which was the worst part of the experience for me. Here I was homeless, about to have a baby, had no money and no place to live. The hardest part of being homeless is feeling alone and sensing that nobody cares about your situation. When I met a social worker there at the shelter, this helped ease that feeling. I will always remember what she did for me. I told her of my situation with my mom and my about to have a baby. She was there for me when I needed someone to talk to and encouraged me to resolve my feelings with my mother and go back home. So, when I moved back home, our relationship was slowly healing. Being about to have a baby did not make it any better. This was difficult for me at the time because I did not have a job or a place to live. It wasn’t until six months later that I had found a job as a counselor, working with adolescents who had experienced similar situation to mine. I started working and saved enough money to move into my apartment. From this experience, I learned that I had the ability to persevere through my most challenging times, developing empathy for people struggling with everyday problems and, most of all, having support from others. Social workers make a remarkable difference in overcoming life’s challenges.
I am applying to the “Masters in Social Work Program” because it is my goal to help others to embrace their inner potential in an effort to make a positive life transition. Preparation towards achieving my personal goal began while I was working at H.V. Group Home, a level 14 group home facility, as a Youth Counselor. My primary work responsibility was to serve as a positive role model for adolescents between the ages of twelve to eighteen. The adolescents had backgrounds such as being homeless and victims of physical and sexual abuse. Others had problems involving drug and alcohol abuse, depression and severe behavioral problems. At times, the position was extremely stressful but I discovered that I had the ability to connect with the adolescents and develop strong emotional ties with them. During these times, I focused on several areas of treatment, including coping skills, social skills and independent living skills. My main ambition was to help them to build their self-esteem and improve their sense of security. As a youth counselor, I have gained valuable experience in listening to people and helping them make positive decisions in order to improve their quality of their lives. My career goals target working with vulnerable and oppressed individuals because I want to ensure that these groups of individuals have access to effective services, quality resources and much needed guidance.