I’ve been working with kids since I was old enough to not be one myself, and being able to make a difference in their lives has always been the thing that has brought me the most joy in life. Children are the future, and investing in them is something I’ve always been passionate about.

I can’t pinpoint the exact time I decided that social work was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I just remember that around my junior year of high school that’s what I started telling people when they asked. Since then, I’ve heard all sorts of responses ranging from, “Good for you, we need more good social workers in the world!” to “That’s a hard job, are you sure you can handle it?”

That last response always kind of rubs me the wrong way. I understand people’s concerns, honestly, but I’ve never been one to put my feelings first so I guess I just get confused when people ask me that question.

When I think about the work I will be doing in the future, it’s hard for me to focus on all the heartache that I will be going through when I know that I will be helping children who deserve so much more than they have. I fully understand that I will experience some awful things, and I’m sure at times it will be incredibly difficult for me to handle, but it’s not about me. Being a social worker is about advocating for the children whose voices were silenced by the situation they have no choice but to be in.

Working at an after school program, I deal with kids that come from all different types of home lives. You can see children with so much potential, that don’t have the same opportunities to achieve their dreams as other kids. I want to be an advocate for those kids. The after-school program I work at is a great way for those kids to gain some of the opportunities they may not receive because of their home life. I want to be able to identify the children that need these programs through my work, and hopefully make them more available to them, because I’ve seen the amazing things that they can do.

I can’t wait to be able to spend every day not only doing something I love, but helping children that cannot help themselves. I know that every day will be a challenge, that every day will be different from the last, and that I will get to stand up for something I truly believe in. If I can make even a small difference in one child's life, I will consider what I'm doing a success. With all of these things and a lifetime of learning ahead of me, how could I ask for a better career?