Essay Example on Personal Statement Giving Voice to the Voiceless

Personal Statement Giving Voice to the Voiceless University of Tennessee Knoxville Graduate Admissions Night falls in Malibu California as the counselors and the rest of my 6th grade class sat around the campfire My classmates and I wrote down our dreams and took turns throwing them into the glowing embers The dream I had that final night at camp was to come back as a counselor someday It was a few years before I could apply but my wish came to fruition the summer before high school For the next four years I devoted my summers to volunteering as a counselor for the junior blind at that very same camp The experiences and valuable information that these visually impaired campers brought into my life cultivated a growth of empathy and understanding for children with special needs and while I didn't know exactly what it meant at the time it would turn out that social work was my big dream all along Why social work It's in my nature to look for ways to reach out to people And it's always been much more than a sentiment for me it's meant active hands on assistance whenever I would see a need I learned that lesson as a child when I was a volunteer for the Foundation for the Junior Blind at Camp Bloomfield Hands on meant letting them hold on to my arm instead of me holding theirs 

Hands on meant telling them whether the Jell O was red or green In high school hands on meant giving my friends a place to sleep while tempers in their own home cooled down In college hands on meant going the extra mile for a stranger in need In this case it was five young teenagers homeless and doing whatever they had to do to stay alive I opened up my house so they could shower and get clean clothes before giving them a ride to a train station where they would disappear down the tracks to begin the next leg of their journey If there was a defining moment when I knew the direction I wanted my career to take it was when I was able to arrange in patient treatment for a dear friend who was homeless and addicted to meth While I felt humbled to have played a role in arranging her treatment the bigger blessing was helping to bring her family into the situation and seeing them begin what I hoped would be a reconciliation It truly was a moment of clarity as I watched an estranged father and daughter put their arms around each other and talk for the first time in several months These reasons among many others are why I believe I am an excellent candidate for your MSSW program I chose the University of Tennessee UT for its quality and focus on multiple facets of the social work field It's not just the prestige of the social work program at the University of Tennessee or the beautiful setting that encompasses the Knoxville area but I also wanted a fresh start to help clear my mind and allow me to focus on pursuing a career helping others