LMU School Psychologist Personal Statement

I am applying to LMU School Psychology program because, I believe in helping students navigate the tumultuous school years with confidence and success. At first I was interested in being a school counselor like my mom. I really admired how students would come to her with all kinds of problems and she would listen and offer help. Like my mom, I felt I had a special gift of listening to people talk about their problems and being a positive outlet students. It wasn’t until I came to the LMU graduate Open house on February 18 and became interested in School Psychology. After listening to the presentation from Professor Brian Leung, I knew I wanted to be more than a school counselor, I wanted to be a school psychologist. I felt both positions helped students and were rewarding careers, but I wanted to be a change agent on campus.
I want to help students who are hopeless and thinking about suicide.
The reason I want to be a school psychologist because they apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. They partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments. I have always been intrigued with helping others, especially children and teenagers. As a person who relates and tries to understand people, I cherish close relationships with others. I find deep satisfactions in helping others and being a person who they seek for advice. I believe I can really make a difference in a student’s life and help them reach their full potential. When I become a school Psychologist my main mission would be to help students who struggle and just need somebody to listen to them. I want to change the stigma of Mental Health and make it
inclusive.
I feel I possess many characteristics that are effective for a school psychologist, but I would like to highlight my two best characteristics. The first characteristic is: Interpersonal Skills. I am very adaptable, I can relate and get along with everyone and have a strong attention to detail when it comes to people. I was raised in a very diverse environment and I have experienced many different cultures. I can honestly say that I have many close friends of almost every race and have a great understanding of what it feels like to be an outcast and to be very popular. I am always intrigued with the unique qualities of each person I meet. My second characteristic is: Open-Mindedness. I enjoy being helpful and avoid imposing ideas on someone unless the person makes a special point of asking me to do so. I try not to be judgmental and really understand the situation a person is dealing with. By nature, I observe people’s behavior and listen to their words and this insight permits me to determine what makes each human being a distinct, separate, and unique person. I believe that I can help individuals deal with problems and be a voice for those who are misunderstood. As a person who relates and tries to understand people, I want to be able to treat those who are misdiagnosed and create a culture in which everyone is accepted and understood. My interpersonal Skill, open-mindedness in addition to my patience, caring nature and intellectual curiosity has always provided me with the right skill set to be a confident and successful school psychologist.
I have been very fortunate that I have been exposed to the field of School psychology on a professional and personal level which have helped me prepare for the field. My mom, grandmother and aunt all worked in the field education. Working in education, has allowed me the opportunities to shadow several of the school psychologist as well as school counselors in private and public institutions. I envision creating a safe and comfortable mental health center on school campuses. A void I see that is needed. I want to intern at a school, help students cope with the demands of the world. I plan to work with the general student population and the administration to create peer helper’s programs on campus. I want to train students to help other students. I will work with the serious problems, but I want to make sure every student feels comfortable speaking to someone. Research has shown peer mentoring programs have been very successful and have changed a school culture. Where students can talk to peers about family problems, relationships and other related problems they are more successful in school. The concept of treating the whole child. I will attend conference's sponsor by NASP National Association of School Psychologists and Cal State LA Trauma-Informed Practices Symposium. I have taken additional classes that exposed me to different counseling theories. I am very committed to this field and my craft. At the Catholic High School, where I currently work, we do not have a special education department and students are assessed by outside people. We do have a program called choices where students can go for counseling, which is run by an outside agency. I have had the opportunity to observe the choices program and talk to mental health professionals. In preparing myself to be an effective school psychologist, I will uphold the following commitments. I will bring a positive attitude to every class and the willingness to learn new concepts and theories. I will continue to devote my time and interest to engage in meaningful discussions and questions. I will seek out and get involve programs, related web seminars and conferences that are available. I am very committed to this program.
My first experience working with children from culturally diverse low income areas was when I volunteer at the Boys and Girls club in Pomona with I was in college. I worked with ages seven to twelve. Many children were latch key and the Boys and Girls club was a safe location. I enjoyed mentoring and working with the kids. Many of the children open to me and I forge strong relationships with the children. It was a very reward experience. Currently I am employed as substitute teachers and the assistant girls’ varsity basketball coach at Bishop Montgomery High School. Bishop Montgomery High School located in Torrance, CA is one of most diverse high schools in the South Bay area. The students are from different social-economic and diverse communities and allowed me to work in many capacities. Through this experience, I helped individuals improve their skills and helps analyze player’s behavior on and off the court. I have helped develop the total student. With my team, we work on academics, social emotional issues, family issues, spiritual commitment, and balancing. While coaches typically focus on the physical side of sports, I became intrigued with the athletes' minds and total behavior. I could tell if my players were going to have a good practice or game just by how they walk in the gym. I would usually ask how they were doing and I became someone they felt they could vent, talk to and trust. Being an adult outlet they could easily talk to for my players I notice the positive effect it had on their game play. While coaching was the catalyst of my desire to study, and develop skills in psychology, it was not the only experience that lead me to decide that my future endeavors rested in a career where I was helping others. Over the course of the school year, my responsibilities as a substitute teacher, allowed me to see students in a different light. I have always considered it a paramount personal responsibility to be an advocate for the young students of my Alma mater and guiding them in the right path. I believe the only way to make a difference in this world is by being different and supportive, bringing a different perspective to a new environment is key. As individuals, we have developed our own personal values through our family, environment, community and life experiences. My values have always stemmed from religion, family, education, helping others and given back to the community. About the education Real conceptual framework Social justices and equality, I believe, to respect, to educate, to advocate and to lead our strong foundation. When you treat others with respect, this allows a self-environment and I understand for one another which is a key cornerstone for school psychology. Education has always been a strong value for myself, being from a family of educators. Education was used to break the chain of poverty. Passing on knowledge is very important to creating a better future. Lastly to lead and set a model for the future is very important. If it wasn’t for my mother being a great role model and demonstrating how to lead, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. She taught me the gift of giving back. The Real concept through LMU aligns with my own beliefs. I want to learn to practice theories to serve underserve population. I believe education and mental health services are divided by social, economical and diverse racial communities. My values align very close to the School of education REAL and I would continue to demonstrate these qualities if accepted into LMU prestigious School Psychology program.