Why I love social work and advocating for people and justice

I am a 24 year old, who wants to change the status quo of society.   I want to make the world a better place for future generations by becoming a therapist so I can help people with their problems. This is in order to enlighten them to discover the power of their own voice. Therefore, my clients will learn to develop self advocacy skills to make people comfortable with their identities so they are proud of their differences and are able to become powerful individuals who can overcome any obstacles. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, but despite my disability, I have managed to be a part of mainstream society and I have accomplished many goals in life. I am a hardworking, determined, attentive, responsible and versatile person. I  believe in my abilities and I refuse to let my disability hinder me from achieving my goals and dreams in life. There are many people who have inspired me to discover my passion for helping others through social work, including my mother. 

Through the social work program at Adelphi University, I am eager to become a counselor and make a difference in the world by turning my individual situation of having cerebral palsy into solutions that can create a path to advocate for people who do not have a voice in society, enabling them to be confident in their own identity. Having a physical disability, I am more empathetic to the fact that some people perform tasks in diverse ways. My experience with cerebral palsy provides me with a unique sense of empathy for those who are disabled. I want to amplify the voices of people who feel powerless or those individuals who feel they are not socially accepted. I want to enable them to have self-confidence and the ability to voice their experiences in life and opinions on world issues. As a counselor, or social worker, I want to provide a platform for those individuals to speak to the world despite their circumstances.

One issue that is of particular importance to me is the global problems of Syrian refugees and the Syrian Civil War. I want to advocate for Syrian refugees, along with people with disabilities who cannot fight for themselves. These people have inspired me to seek solutions for immigration and prejudice and by becoming a counselor, I can help people by fighting to bring a change to both  politics and the perspectives of society towards individuals who are “different”. Amid all the Islamophobic hysteria, the United States is trying to deal with an unprecedented number of Syrian refugees entering the country in an attempt to escape the perils of the Syrian Civil War. Although we are called upon to act, our political parties are very polarized; some do not believe that the United States should play much of a role in helping refugees, directly or indirectly. Congress is heavily divided on this issue of whether to assist Syrian refugees. I believe that the only way to solve this humanitarian crisis is if Western nations and the world come together, regardless of their differences. One approach to ending this crisis would be to create solutions through a worldwide collaboration of countries sponsored by the United Nations. However, in order to find solutions to address the social barriers faced by Syrian refugees, Islamophobia must be overcome, as it is still a strong barrier to finding solutions to this social problem.  In order to understand the severity and the extent of this humanitarian crisis, we need to create a context in which people can study the history of Syria. This would allow people to discover and hopefully empathize with the factors which led to the Syrian refugee crisis as a result of the Syrian Civil War.  

Those who have the desire to truly understand this crisis must act like sociologists and peel away the layers individually, in order to see where the main problems are located and, ultimately, find solutions. This is why it is crucial to study the perspectives of how countries around the world and western nations, such as the United States, are dealing with the refugee crisis. Islamophobia has created a hatred among the Western world against Syrian refugees, causing them to be viewed as terrorists, and worsening the problem. If Western nations viewed the Syrian refugees the same as refugees from other backgrounds, the world could potentially find a solution for this crisis. As a counselor, I recognize that although I cannot end all world conflict, I can provide people knowledge on the topic and help them utilize their voices to contribute to the fight for refugees. Through this field, I long to extend a helping hand for both those with disabilities and also those who need a voice because society has muffled their sound with unfounded discrimination by offering emotional support. I plan to create an environment that does not instill fear or any negative emotions in  my clients because I want to allow people to have a space to talk freely without any judgment.

 Along with my passion for this massive crisis, another factor in my life which pushes me towards this field of social work is writing. For most of my life, I thought I was not very good at writing. I pretty much only did if I had to write essays and research papers for school purposes. When I wrote a detailed paper in eighth grade describing the Feminist movement and received a grade of ninety six percent, I realized that I might have a talent and a love for writing. My English teacher had told me that I was a “wonderfully gifted writer.” I enjoy writing because it helps me express myself and alleviate my frustrations. The first person to show me the art of writing in my eyes was my elementary school teacher, Ms. Seiden. She taught me how to utilize details to explain my ideas in my writing. Over the years, I continued to practice proving my point by using a lot of details, and now writing is second nature for me. Writing has had a huge influence on my life. It taught me valuable skills, including patience, dedication, and confidence. It also taught me to look for deeper meaning and a connection to life from literature. I have always felt as if I was a burden to people due to my disability, but now I believe there is a future in writing for me.  This skill is important to me because it allows me to express myself in many different ways without being accused of being wrong.

Writing has enabled me to observe the world and its tendencies. I have learned that society tends to cast out individuals who exist outside of the small bubble known as the “normal”. From a young age, I learned that in order to reach my goals, I must employ different methods compared to others and put in more effort and dedication because it may take me longer to complete tasks due to my cerebral palsy. Having a physical disability means it is a daily struggle to perform basic life activities such as cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. But, this does not mean that I cannot achieve my goals in life. Because certain tasks take me longer to complete, it allows me to pay more attention to details and gives me a higher sense of satisfaction when I do achieve them. Therefore, people who are not classified as “normal” by the general population are normal in their own ways. Just because some people have to adapt to work in different ways does not mean that they are not capable of accomplishing their goals in order to become successful members of society. As a counselor, I can create an environment where people are not afraid to talk about religion or social problems. I plan to open up a discussions with my patients by letting them start a conversation by asking open-ended questions such as “Why do you think who are here today?” and “What makes you unique?” These conversations can help me break the ice and build a strong relationship with my patients. A part of therapy is that that therapist’s work with patients to building up a relationship with the patient so they actually feel comfortable and you cannot do that by simply asking questions for an hour. As a therapist, I will teach my patients how to take advantage of their own abilities.  As a result, my clients will learn to accept their own differences and embrace their unique identities and talents because no one should ever be ashamed of who they are. No matter what life throws at you, people can always achieve their dreams and goals in life. I do not care what society says - we must cast away this false idea of what “normal” is.

One person who taught me this is my mother. As my role model, she taught me the principles I live by such as empathy, integrity, determination, and respect. My mother inspires me to never give up and to always work hard to help me make my dreams come true. She taught me to have confidence and believe in my abilities by never comparing myself to others. From her, I learned to appreciate everything I have and to always help the less fortunate however I can. I always remember that fact when my family and I visited family in Egypt last summer and I saw so many people and children sitting on the street without food, water, or shelter. I think they have kinder hearts than most Americans. When I visited Egypt even strangers were like family to me and they did not even know me. Despite having barely anything to their names to give, they were still willing to give more than they have in order to help my family and I.  That really opened my eyes to how fortunate I really am in life and inspired me to help people I want to give people self advocacy to discover the power of their voices as a counselor. The principles that my family gave me will stay with me for the rest of my life.  

After realizing how blessed I was in life, I decided to give back by interning at Abilities. During my internship, I worked in business communications and helped students with their resumes and cover letters. I was able to advocate for the students and highlight the qualities that made them stand out as individuals. This internship helped me realize that I want to become a therapist to help people with their problems, along with becoming an activist who speaks up for people who feel like they do not have a voice. I am a very open person and love to talk to people to express myself. As a result, I hope to make people comfortable talking about a variety of topics so we can alleviate their frustrations together. On the other hand, I am aware that there is a stigma of attending therapy, so I want to create an environment where people feel safe and comfortable to fully express themselves.

      I believe the social work program at Adelphi can provide me with the skills necessary to foster my development as a force for making people understand themselves so they can reach their full potential and influence others to do the same. Through the social work program at Adelphi   College I want to enhance my skills as an empathetic advocate for people, and help individuals by creating with approaches unique to their situations. I know how good it feels to have someone believe in you and bring out your full potential, so I would like to enlighten people so that they embrace their differences and highlight the qualities that make them better people.  I can achieve this by using my social skills and ability to fully attach myself to something I’m passionate about to fully invest in the success of my patients. Counseling is about making connections with people, and I believe that my patience, dedication, and genuine passion make me an ideal counselor.