my legacy

 

   My name is Sarah Elgohary. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, but despite my disability I have managed to be a part of a mainstreamed society and I have accomplished many goals in life .I am a very dynamic individual who is a very hardworking, determined, attentive, responsible and versatile person I believe every new life is a pure, innocent, soul waiting to find its purpose in life.  As a result, I wonder what my purpose is in life I want to contribute to the world as much as my family and my friends gave me growing up with my culture, my hobbies, my  writing abilities my positive experience, and my  future plans. I know I have the potential to help people and make a difference in the world   I just have to believe in my abilities and not let my disability stand in the way of overcoming my obstacles to achieve my goals and dreams in life.  I want 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 of advocacy for people who do not have a voice in society, I believe I can enable them to be confident in their own identity. Because I have a physical disability, my experience provides me with a unique sense of empathy for those who are disabled as well as any individual seeking to discover the power of their own voice as a tool to enable them to communicate their messages and experiences in life in a peaceful way so that they make people aware of their problems without violence and fear. As a result, there are many issues that emphasize people needing a voice to advocate for themselves. As a counselor or social worker, I want to guide people to become powerful individuals despite their circumstances. One issue that is important to me is the global problem of Syrian refugees and the Syrian Civil War.  I want to advocate for Syrian refugees as well as any group of people who cannot fight for themselves and help individuals discover their inner power and amplify their voice and to the world. 

Helping others through social work is one of my main goals and passions in life because I have always wanted to advocate for people. I have cerebral palsy, which has made me realize how important it is to convey your own ideas and messages independently in a positive and respectful manner to the world. I discovered that I want to be a social worker when I was fifteen years old. I used my voice to advocate resolving a family fight between my aunt and uncle after two hours. I realized that I was never going to stand idly by and do nothing when people are in trouble.  Instead, I use the power of my voice to advocate for people as a social worker. This experience taught me I have the power to advocate for myself and others. I realize the individual is the best person to advocate for themselves because I have learned that even though, people can advocate for you with your best interests at heart (your parents, friends or your support system) the best way to show how strongly you feel on an issue is to advocate for yourself. This is why I want to be a social worker, I want to teach people how to advocate for themselves no matter their circumstances while, I advocate for others.  Because I have a physical disability, my experience provides me with a unique sense of empathy for those who are disabled as well as any individual seeking to discover the power of their own voice. People must never be afraid to stand up for what they believe in to make sure that their powerful voices are heard.  Therefore, the individual voice is a powerful tool. Even if people have no other resources available to them, each person has a voice. It is your most valuable resource because no one can ever take it away from you. As a social worker, I will encourage my clients to utilize their powerful voices by helping them use their passions to create different outlets to become comfortable sharing their unique experiences with other people.

                 One of my major goals is to provide Syrian refugees with a platform to speak out about their personal experiences and opinions. Immigration laws, along with societal prejudice, make these refugees’ lives very difficult. I realize that I cannot stop all conflict, but at least as a counselor, I can use my voice to help people gain their voices and provide them the knowledge to be comfortable with their own ability to prevent conflict and violence and fight for refugees. My research on Syria refugees makes me want to advocate for them and become an ambassador for the United Nations idealistically.  I want to help people and 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. 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. 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 and embrace themselves.  As a social worker, I will have the ability to help people by fighting to change policies and perspectives of society. I recognize that I cannot stop all conflict; however, as a counselor, I can use my voice to provide emotional support for refugees and knowledge to people, so that they can recognize this global conflict and understand its underlying causes. I would like to see the eradication of the automatic association of Muslims with violent acts and terrorism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and intolerance. I am eager to provide cultural education on the Muslim religion and its actual teachings to society will, in the hopes of eventually provide Syrian refugees, who are driven out from their homes and unaccepted globally, with peace and stability.

Along with my passion for this massive crisis, my passion for writing also contributes to my interest in social work. I wrote in eighth grade describing the Feminist movement, 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. Writing has had a huge influence on my life. It taught me valuable skills, including patience, authenticity, dedication, and confidence. Writing is so important to me because it strengthens the power of my ability to advocate for people and share my experiences knowledge and feelings with people. Writing has allowed me to express myself and continue to expand the power and potential scope of my voice by making me go beyond my limits by allowing me to create a new perspective of possibilities. This began when I created a beautiful heartfelt blog called the Shining Star where I write posts on many different topics. Writing makes me happy and a better person and advocate. My blog allows my voice to advocate and inform, educate, and influence my readers personally. My voice is reaching people from all over the world from the United States all way to Poland and Kuwait and the Philippines   My blog is making my voice stronger. Writing has led me to social work because through writing I am able to advocate for myself and others. by creating a blog where I can freely share my knowledge and experience with the world so I can inform and influence people in different countries around the world.  I know that not all people enjoy writing. As a social worker, I will work with my clients in order to help them find their voices and different outlets to express themselves while I teach how to advocate independently so they become as comfortable sharing their unique experiences with other people as I am writing. 

Sometimes not being able to help people physically can be very challenging; however, I am very good at being empathetic and offering emotional support. This is what I experienced when my father was diagnosed with cancer. I could not do anything for him physically, but I sat home with him every day keeping him company; we watched basketball together, I talked to him, helped him with phone calls, and listened to him tell me stories. I encouraged him with positive words such as be strong and “I love you”. This experience made me realize that I want my future career to involve this individual care for people. As a counselor, I want to make people comfortable in their own skin, allowing them to use their voice to convey their messages and experiences. In addition, as a counselor I will provide emotional support to my patients by listening to their stories and having them take initiative to develop self-advocacy by leading discussions. The most important types of emotional support are patience and a positive attitude. As a counselor, I want to provide the most positive emotional support for all my patients. I will be there for my clients and provide them with hope and confidence in their stories, talents, and abilities, allowing them to develop self-advocacy skills and become productive members of society. My father taught me how powerful emotional support truly is, and providing emotional support to my patients will be more important than physical support.

As a counselor, I can create an environment where people are not afraid to talk about religion or social problems. I plan to have open discussions with my clients, by asking open-ended questions such as “Why do you think you are here today?” and “What makes you unique?”. These conversations can help me break the ice and build a strong rapport with clients. A therapist’s work cannot begin until a comfortable relationship with a client is established; a strong connection with clients is the foundation for therapy. I want to give individuals the opportunity to express what is going on without subjecting them to double-blinded question, in which however they answer, they are somehow wrong. Rather than put a negative connotation to their answer, I want to hear them out and allow them to express themselves more freely. 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 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 order to progress as a society, we must cast away this false idea of what “normal” is.

I am eager to join  the Hunter University School of Social Work for a multitude of reasons. I look forward to becoming a part of Hunter University School of Social Service; I believe the social work program can provide me with the skills necessary to foster my development as a therapist, who allows people to understand themselves so that they can reach their full potential and influence others to do the same. I love writing so I also look forward to my research papers and my field placement. Hunters School of Social Work offers students the option to choose a specialization in a field of practice (FOP). As a reflection of both our commitment to a social justice and human rights framework and the nature of the service systems where we do our work, the School has chosen the following practice specializations for your consideration. Each of these areas is linked to a universal human right. My concentration at Hunter social work Global Social Work and Practice with Immigrants and Refugees reform and youth services.  I want to work in a diverse community that cares about Syrian refugees at am very passionate about helping people. At Hunters’ Silberman School of social work, I would like to become a counselor and make a difference in the world. I believe I can enable my future clients to be confident in their own respective identities, by using my own situation of having cerebral palsy as an example to help show my clients that regardless of your situation, it is possible to find your voice.   (maybe this is for a later paragraph where you discuss your qualifications and intentions for study)

(Michelle.Giuliano@opwdd.ny.gov) (A (Christina.E.Bozza@opwdd.ny.gov) (Anna.B.Perez@opwdd.ny.gov)