Social work stood out to me when I was lost and confused on where to go in life. I knew I wanted a career that was in human services where I could watch the outcome of development happen both internally and externally in a human and system. I also knew I wanted to be in a career path where I want to help guide people onto getting “back on their feet” and challenge the injustices that are being faced. When I started studying social work, and had a social worker during my grandmother’s hospice care, I knew this was the career path for me. I was always in awe of how diverse of a field social work is and I wanted to be part of that diversity.

In the past, I have had experiences working with children whom of which have intellectual and physical disabilities for a public agency; interning with a private, non-profit agency with the re-entry population and the Department of Social Services. These experiences have shown that I have worked in multiple different environments on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. When working with children and their families, I realized that this is what I want to do with my life. I also realized, when interning with the re-entry population and I had adults on my caseload, that motivation to fight for social justice is still there. With having both experiences of working with children and the re-entry population has shown me with working the juvenile justice is the career path for myself.

Given the opportunity and trainings that I had with the re-entry population, it has helped me figure out that working with the justice system is an open door for my career. Also acknowledging that I have a passion for fighting against the injustices that are being faced by vulnerable and oppressed population, and obtaining a bachelor’s of science in social work, I do feel well-aware of what is to come for fighting for social justice. The Department of Social Services has given me the opportunity of attending court hearings and juvenile detention for children who have delinquent behaviors.

After graduating from Longwood University with my bachelor’s in social work, I plan attending Virginia Commonwealth University to continue my academic career in social work with a clinical specialization.