Social Work Narrative Statement

Narrative Statement
Vyvian T. Nguyen
New Mexico Highlands University

1. Key Club is an organization of young people who volunteer to help different establishments. During my junior year in high school, I was the junior board member and I had the opportunity to help each of the juniors who were involved with Key Club. When I started attending the University of New Mexico, I began to work towards becoming a chaperone. I have volunteered at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, The Weems Art-Fest, Light the Night, the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and many other great organizations. I have volunteered in donations and fundraisers for the needy. I wanted to join Key Club because I enjoy learning about the
different organizations and sharing my compassion towards others. I enjoy spending time volunteering at various organizations and feel content that I have used my time in a beneficial way. Since I wanted to help out more at the homeless shelters, I started to volunteer on my own time with an organization known as Crossroads for Women. The person who was in charge needed help bringing in food on Thursdays for the people in the shelter during their lunchtime. I volunteered to provide a cooked meal every Thursday; I would make fried rice, egg rolls, or spaghetti. On some occasions where I didn’t have the time to cook, I would go out and buy them dinner. In addition to this, I helped the organization work on a project that involved making a book with all the volunteers’ pictures and information. Volunteering at Crossroads for Women has strengthened my confidence and has increased my outlook on life in a positive manner. After this, I volunteered to be a leader with the youth group at my church, which means that I’m in charge of the activities for my group. For example, I make sure the students attend retreats. During a retreat, students get to interact with different church groups, teachers, and they can learn from one another. Being part of these various activities has allowed me to meet many incredible people who have motivated and believed in me when I felt very discouraged.
2. Working with the Albuquerque Job Corps as of today has made me become an even stronger and open-minded individual. I’m a recreational assistant who prepares events and activities for the students. I have learned the background of these students and corresponded with them to find the right words to say while guiding them towards a better direction when they feel discouraged. I have been responsible for taking the students to different volunteer opportunities while working at the Albuquerque Job Corps. The students and I have volunteered at the Albuquerque Zoo, Watermelon Mountain Ranch, The Storehouse, and the Doggie Dash. Many of the students that attend the Albuquerque Job Corps come from difficult situations: Homelessness, gang activity, drug activity, and many more diverse backgrounds. There are 125 Job Corps centers around the country that are supported by a for-profit or non-profit contractor. The school has strict policies and one of the strictest policies is that students cannot leave campus unless they meet certain requirements. Many students get irritated with the rules, so they start breaking the rules, which eventually causes them to get terminated. The national average of students who obtained a GED or high school diploma combined with their technical training certificate was 48.4% in 2011. The percentage seems low because the contractors for the Job Corps have not recalibrated their programs to target skills and trades that integrate into areas where the labor market is heading. Rather than thinking about what might work better for the students and ways to improve the program, the contractors seem like they only want to receive money for themselves. I want to increase the success for Job Corps in the future and make it a more effective program.
3.
My educational goal is to major in criminology and participate in as many non-profit organization programs. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I want to continue my education to become a social worker. I see myself as an influential leader, pushing individuals to reach their goals. I strive to inspire people to never back down when life becomes difficult. I want to become part of the social work community because I want to motivate people to have a strong, optimistic, and positive mindset. Ultimately, I want to dedicate my support towards the community and the lives of others during my lifetime. I would like to earn my master’s degree in social work at Highlands University in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The master’s program for the School of Social Work at New Mexico Highlands University allows students to specify in a specific concentration program. The school offers three areas of program specialization: clinical practice, government non-profit management, and bilingual/bicultural clinical practice. My focus is to gain as much knowledge and experience during practicums. I would like to own a homeless shelter and help people who need counseling, jobs, education, and/or a place to live. I want to help those who face hardships because of a teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol abuse. I believe that this shelter will decrease the amount of incarceration, poverty, and crime rates. Having an education is the key towards being able to pursue my goals. I want the best preparation
possible so I can effectively help others better themselves for a successful life. Throughout my lifetime, I have overcome many difficult challenges. I grew up with both of my parents who mostly spoke Vietnamese. Vietnamese was my primary language at home, and I became very fluent in it. A majority of my friends also spoke Vietnamese. I found it difficult to learn grammar, read, write, and speak in English. These factors along with other limitations made English one of my most difficult subjects.
4. I have never been convicted of a felony.
5. I have never received disciplinary action or have been suspended from other universities.