Adoption Personal Statement

When I first started college I was set on working in adoption and foster care. The whole reason I wanted to be a social worker was because of the book A Child Called It. If you have not read the book, it is about a boy named David whose mother abused him in the most unimaginable ways. When the social worker came and removed him from the home I knew that someday I wanted to be able to rescue a kid like David from his home and help him to find a better life. This is why I like the idea of adoption and foster care. The day I left for college changed my thinking again. My great grandmother became very sick. Her right eye had closed and she was having trouble seeing. That next day they took her to the hospital and found out she had a brain tumor
and cancer throughout her body. She instantly started chemo which made her very sick, after a couple of months it was two exhausting and she quit. Seeing her go through all the pain and suffering throughout the last year of her life got me very interested in hospice care or gerontology. My mom also works at a place called ElderCare Inc. and hearing the stories she tells me about the clients they work with and the struggles they go through makes me want to be an advocate for those people. I think many people forget about the elderly abuse and neglect. They forget that the elderly need our help just as much as the children do. This is why I like the idea of hospice care or gerontology. This past year has changed my mind again. I have been working as a para professional in a confined special needs room with children ranging in all different needs and abilities. Hearing these children’s stories and the things they have gone through make me very interested in working with the special needs population. Just in the short year I have been in the room I have learned so much from those kids. Every day I advocate for those kids and help them get what they need. I would love to be able to continue to help the special needs population. These are just a few of the populations that interest me. I would also be willing to work with the juvenile justice system, addictions, human trafficking, and even administrative. The wonderful thing about social work is there are many different fields to choose from. I don’t know what field I want to go into and I truly believe that is okay. What I know for sure is that I want to help people and I am headed in the right direction to do so.