Statement of Purpose (Submitted to the University of Denver)

I’d like to invite you to reflect with me for a moment. Think of one of the hardest days of your life, no matter what capacity that was in. Now, think of how a hug from one of the most important people in your life would have felt in that moment; the hug and the kind words that they would have shared and the support they would have shown you. That sense of security is what I would like every individual that I come into connection with to feel when I am their social worker and can hold space with them.

One social justice issue that I am passionate about is individuals who have been wronged by the justice system, resulting in trauma. Their voices are not always included in decision-making regarding their own well-being, policy making, and advocacy. I hope to act as an advocate by meeting them where they are and standing up to testify and advocate at the macro level. Some issues can be talked about multiple times, but nothing will change until the system we live within accepts the change and advocates for the people within it.

To prepare for my future practice, I hope to gain more knowledge of the different social work models of practice with a focus on youth and families. I also remain curious about a variety of populations and issues, including advocacy, the justice system, and women's health. In my own experiences, there have been times where the issues I was facing were not something that I could work on; rather, they were systemic and needed more advocacy. I am curious how these will intersect and would like to learn how to better communicate and sharpen my advocacy skills through real-world experiences, practicums, and learning from faculty and peers. 

I would like to go into working with individuals but with more insight to policy and macro social work because of my own lived experience with a parent who used substances. My mother struggled with substance abuse, and it resulted in me growing up more quickly than my peers. My maternal grandparents recognized what was going on and tried to help by pursuing custody of me, which was a battle that lasted for ten years of my childhood. My limited memories of this time include my development of some core factors that contributed to my resiliency.  My court therapist provided a lot of support to me, and I also found comfort in playing with our family dog. How this support nurtured me became crucial to my survival and led to me wanting to incorporate animal-assisted therapy into my practice. 

My life improved until my sophomore year of high school when my Mom turned to substance to cope again. As a result, I had to learn how to take care of myself and my mom’s daily needs as her constant support. This lasted until my senior year of high school when my father filed for a divorce. Six months after the divorce, my mom went missing while my dad was in the hospital with COVID-19. Once again, I turned to the resources available to me, including support from a school social worker and companionship from my dog. While my mom was missing, I learned how important advocacy was and how sometimes you have to stand up to the systemic issues in place that hold you back. The local police department did not want to look into my mom’s missing persons case due to her status in their department as someone they had encountered multiple times due to substance use. I had to advocate for her and speak up about their stereotypes and how they affect individuals and their families.

From this experience, I learned how important it is to reach out to your supporters and to recognize those who are in your support system. Going into the field of social work, I acknowledge how important ecomaps are and how helpful they can be in times like this. These experiences connecting with social workers for my support prompted me to seek a social work degree, keeping close to home so I could stay connected with my family while we were looking for and then later grieving the loss of my mother.

Social work mandates a strong education and practice in ethical and anti-racist practice. This is a commitment that I hold very closely, both personally and professionally. I learned a lot in my childhood about helping those around me and watched my mom interact with a multitude of people from lots of backgrounds. I learned from a young age that there is wrong and right in how you treat others, and you should never treat someone as lesser than you based on their appearance or background.  In high school I saw others be mistreated or disrespected based off of their skin tone and noticed how some teachers and staff were quick to favor a White student, along with witnessing the Black Lives Matter movement, and I knew that as someone who was White, I needed to use my privilege and stand up for others that were being oppressed. I have attended a cultural humility conference to help deepen my understanding of systemic and social injustice and am attending an upcoming anti- racism training to learn more about being aware of what is going on around me and to continue my knowledge of oppression.

Self-determination and self-advocacy are both crucial to effective social work practice. My goal is to bring strength and support to youth and families that are being oppressed and to work towards uplifting others by helping them strengthen their voices for what they deserve and need in life.