Why I want to help people

My There are many people who have inspired me throughout my life especially my family, friends and teachers have inspired me throughout my life and who have helped me on  my journey to discover my passion for helping others through social work. T hrough the social work program at Molloy college I want to become a counselor and This is the best  way that I can make a difference in the world, ; by turning my individual problem into solutions that can create a path of advocacy for people who do not have a voice in society. I have always known that I wanted to help people, just like the influential counselors who have helped me while I was growing up, and I hope to do that by becoming a rehabilitation counselor. Having a physical disability of cerebral palsy,  provides me with a unique sense of empathy for those who are disabledI am more empathetic to those in different situations, similar to mine, and . And as a counselor,or social worker through social work program at Molloy ,I want to create a path of advocacy for people who do not have a voice in society, and enable them to be confident in their own identity .

Immigration and turmoil in the Middle East are have always been “hot topics” that resurface in every presidential election. MEven though there are many American pother presidents who have taken discriminatory actions against certain minority groups, for example, such as internment camps for the Japanese in World War II. , Donald J. Trump, the current United States president, is islamophobic to such an extent that he proposed a travel ban against seven majority Muslim nations, which was found unconstitutional by a federal judge, in an attempt to stop an entire race of people (Muslims) from entering the U.S. because he assumes that all Muslims are terrorists.  He is so nationalistic, that he is determined to persist with a new ban even though the previous one was blocked. He is committed to this unjustified action because he fails to make the distinction between the majority of Muslims who practice the peaceful religion of Islam and a small minority of politically motivated radical extremists who kill their own kind. Amid all the islamophobic hysteria, the United States is trying to deal with an unprecedented number of Syrian refugees coming into the country, who are trying to escape 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 extremely divided on this issue of whether to assist Syrian refugees. 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. Even though Islamophobia is not the direct cause of the crisis, 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 allows people to discover what factors led to the Syrian refugee crisis. As a result, people need to analyze the roots of the Syrian refugee crisis, because Syrian refugees are a result of the Syrian civil war.  There are many causes of the Syrian civil war, which was inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya (the Arab Spring in 2011). Similar to the nations that were part of the Arab Spring, many Syrians wanted to overthrow the dictatorial Assad regime due to the lack of freedoms and economic woes, which fueled public anger and resentment of the Syrian government. Conflict began with anti-government protests that divided Syrian citizens into two groups. One group remained loyal to their President Bashar al-Assad, while the other group opposed Assad’s regime and fought for democracy in Syria (BBC News 2016). However, the conflict escalated to a civil war when peaceful protests for Assad to resign turned violent during an incident where 15 boys were detained and tortured for having written graffiti in support of the Arab Spring. One of the boys, 13-year-old Hamza al-Khateeb, was killed after having been brutally tortured ("Syria's Civil War Explained", 2016). President Assad responded to the protests by killing hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoning many more. In July 2011, military officials formed a rebel group, named the Free Syrian Army, which called to overthrow the government; this eventually morphed into a full scale civil war. ("Syria's Civil War Explained", 2016).

Although it is important to analyze the causes of the refugee crisis from its source, the Syrian Civil War, people cannot look at this crisis from only one angle. However, in order to truly understand this crisis, people have to be like sociologists and peel away the layers individually, in order to see where the problems are really located and find solutions. As a result, we need to look at all of the different aspects of this conflict in order to solve this problem. Moreover, 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. Therefore, people need to understand the United States’ relationship to this crisis and their policies on how we see the conflict in Syria as part of the equation to find solutions and solve the crisis. that they are not afraid to speak up for themselves and make a difference in the world. Western nations have a capitalist ideology, which makes a majority of people react to foreign problems with indifference, and hostility. This is the case with the Syrian refugees because people in Western nations do not realize that they have a false conscientiousness about issues that do not directly affect them. They do not react to facts, or problems, that do not fit into their personal worldview (Rizzo, 2016) As a result, it is important to know how to frame Syrian refugees and the refugee crisis in positive ways in order to find solutions. Furthermore, Islamophobia is creating a fear of Syrian refugees as terrorists, causing the problem to get worse rather than being solved.  In reality, in order to solve the refugee crisis, people need to stop hiding behind their fear of terrorism and islamophobia to understand that the majority of Syrian refugees actually are innocent people who are escaping their countries because of conflict. After all, refugees are not seen as terrorists but as innocent people in need of protection. Therefore, people need to change how they view refugees because the only way to solve the refugee crisis is to correctly identify the roots of the problem which not only lie in Islamophobia, but also how refugees are depicted. Generally, people identify refugees as people who need protection and a safe place to live not as terrorists. However, Syrian refugees are assumed terrorists rather than innocent people. If Western nations view the Syrian refugees the same as other refugees the world could find solutions for crisis. This approach would be the right and ideal one instead of our current approach of banning innocent Syrian refugees because they are falsely being lumped into the same category as terrorists, which is only stalling and escalating the problem.

 My research on Syrian refugees makes want to advocate for them and become an ambassador for the United Nations idealistically.  I want to help people . As a result, ever since I was in seventh grade I knew that I wanted to help   people and give back to the people who have helped me grow up by becoming a rehab counselor. This is the only way that I can make a difference in the world; by turning my individual problem into solutions that can create a path of advocacy for people who do not have a voice in society. .  I wrote a research paper on Syrian refugees My extensive research on Syrian refugees   makes me realize that I want to take action. Not only do I want to become a therapist to help people with their problems, but I also want to become an activist to advocate for people who feel like they are powerless. This advocating is not limited to people with disabilities, but all people who need a voice because society has muffled their sound with unfounded discrimination. not heard them without judgment.

Society tends to cast out individuals who are different, and not every individual has to conform to social norms or standards in the same ways in order to be “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, but that does not mean that I cannot achieve my goals in life. Though tasks could take longer, 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.

During my internship at Abilities, I spent a day 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 also helped me realize that I want to become a therapist to help people with their problems, and an activist who advocates for people who feel like they are powerless. This advocating is not limited to people with disabilities, but extends to all people who need a voice, because they are unfairly judged by society. 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 know 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 will listen to their frustrations as a friend, if they just need someone to talk to. 

     I believe  through social work program at Molloy college 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. Tthrough the  social work program at Molloy college I want to enhance my skills as an empathetic advocate for people, and help individuals with approaches unique to their situations. I know how good it feels to have someone believe that you have the ability to make a difference, and bring out your full potential, so as a result I want 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 my patience, dedication, and genuine passion make me an ideal counselor.