Graduate School Essay free essay sample

Making the decision to apply for graduate school has been only one of many great steps I am sure to take along my journey in life. Choosing Wheelock College for my Masters Social Work Degree has been the simpler choice in this path. I know that Wheelock College is best suited for myself personally and professionally, and will facilitate my growth and forward movement in life. I am enthusiastically looking forward to an education which will assist me in contributing further to the lives of children, families, and communities, both as an individual and as an individual and professionally. I currently enjoy working with children and families, helping them to build and enhance the quality of their lives by striving toward academic achievement, developing emotional competency, maintaining mental health stability, working toward independence from public systems, or social growth. This passion for helping people began as a small child through the example of my parents. We will write a custom essay sample on Graduate School Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I grew up in a blended family with parents who never married, however entered a lifetime partnership of co-parenting. Of my three parents, Mother, Father, and Step-Father, my mother was most influential. Although she had little, she would lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Having had only two biological children of her own, my mother took in many children and families into our home providing a place to rest, meals, clothes, and at times money if she had it to spare. She assisted them in securing jobs, apartments, and in completing public assistance applications while maintaining her own job and caring for her own family. Mom had no bias. The children and families my mother helped came as family members, personal friends, or even friends of friends. These families came from every circumstance in life, often including those who were drug addicted, incarcerated, unemployed, in domestic violence relationships, lacked education, or simply â€Å"down on their luck†. As a small child I didn’t understand the impact my mother made on their lives. As I grew older I not only came to understand the importance of her gestures, I grew to deeply respect, admire, and value the kind efforts of my mother. She is my inspiration. In my personal life journey, I was determined to be the first person in my family to attend college, working my way through and completing a Bachelor of Science Degree. This was truly one of my family’s proudest moments. In the years since graduation, I have gained much real world experience in the human service field. My past employment includes work as a case manager in a female juvenile detention facility for the Key Program in North Grafton Ma, where I served a multicultural and diverse population of young girls. One of my greatest responsibilities was building appropriate behavioral skills through mental health techniques, mentoring, and teaching boundaries. I collaborated with many other providers and agencies keeping the focus on the child’s needs and in meeting them â€Å"where they are at† with the goal to rehabilitate and reintegrate the child into the community holding the opportunity to be successful. Currently, I am employed as a Crisis Support Worker through Community Healthlink / UMass, in Leominster, MA. The agency division is known as Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention, and is a community based, team approach in addressing children/adolescents in crisis. Working closely with the clinician evaluating the child, my part is in assessing the parents/guardians of the children, obtaining pertinent information regarding the present crisis, precipitating factors, medical history, trauma history, developmental and family history, as well as the parents/guardians desired outcome. All aspects of the process are considered in making the clinical assessment and in determining an appropriate disposition for the child in need. In addition, I assist in developing safety and behavioral plans, teaching coping skills, and in accessing needed services for all family members involved with the identified child in crisis. I am aware of the possible challenges that lie ahead of me while I embark on the journey of furthering my education and professional career. I am ready for the discipline of balancing being a young mother, partner, employee and graduate school student. I acknowledge possible challenges may exist simply being who I am; a young Black woman in a professional field. I fully intend to prove myself beyond any stereotype, biases, or question of my ability simply because of my gender or ethnicity, because this, too, is who I am. As a new mother I want more than ever, to further my education and continue moving forward in my life and to be able to provide a wonderful life for my daughter. Just like my mother, I hope to lead by example, showing my daughter she too is capable of becoming a strong, educated black woman and a positive contributor to our society and the people in it. I feel strongly that Wheelock College is the most appropriate and the best option for my educational ambitions and I am equally confident that Wheelock will determine that I am an enthusiastic and qualified candidate Thank you for consideration of my application and please know that I am eagerly looking forward to starting the next phase in my personal and professional journey at Wheelock!