Social Work Graduate, Personal Statement Example

My parents moved with their respective families from Afghanistan to Pakistan as war refugees due to Soviet invasion. It was in Pakistan where they met and got married, thus, I have never been to the country of my forefathers. But growing up in Pakistan was not easy as war refugees are considered second-class citizen and considered a burden upon the society. In addition, my mother was illiterate and my father had barely attended high school, thus, my family was not only poor but also uneducated. My family moved to the U.S. when I was eleven years old because social discrimination and prejudice had made it difficult living in Pakistan.

As is the norm among uneducated families from third world countries, tradition and social customs dictated how my parents brought up their children. My parents had even more negative attitude towards me being a daughter and not only they deemed me as a burden but also failed to protect me from physical abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse. These experiences left huge psychological scars but my parents didn’t even have a slight idea of how life was for me. The transition to the U.S. didn’t make life easier either because I had to start school at grade 6 level when in reality, I had never been exposed to the English language. In Pakistan, I had learnt to speak Parsi and Pushto which are Iran’s and Afghanistan’s national languages, respectively as well as Urdu, Hindi, and a little bit Punjabi which are spoken in Pakistan and India and here I had to learn a sixth language to resume my academic career. My parents didn’t speak English either nor did they take any interest in my academic career. It was also not easy to psychologically embrace the fact that my parents didn’t attend a single high school event or school meeting. It was during this time that a social services counselor proved to be god-send. My whole life has been a struggle on my own it is not an overstatement that the case worker assigned to my family was probably the first person who tried to help me gain a footing in life. In fact, her dedication as well as my observations is what has inspired me to pursue a career in social services because one of the things I have learnt in life is that we all need others to deal with challenges in life and it is especially true of less fortunate members of the society. The society prospers when those at the bottom of economic and social hierarchy are given assistance so that they can realize their true potential.

I have been the first person in my family to go to college and I will soon be obtaining my Bachelors of Science in Human Services with honors. During undergraduate academic career, I did an internship with Sierra Vista Child and Family Services, a well respected foster and adoption care agency. My strong work ethics and commitment to the job at Sierra Vista led to full time job offer and now I work there as Child Care Worker. My primary responsibility is working with children in intensive care who are not suitable candidates for foster families yet. It is a demanding job but in addition to my academic background, my personal experiences have prepared me well for it. I am able to put myself in others’ shoes that is why I quickly develop bond with my patients. I had little hope for my future if it were not for the selfless dedication of social worker assigned to us after my family’s arrival in the U.S.

I have been fortunate to be where I am today, given my personal background and I want to give back to the society that has given me a shot at my dreams. I want to be there for children who deserve proper care and need guidance which I didn’t have while growing up. This is why I am aiming for graduate education so that I can provide the best care to my patients I am capable of. Thus, I see graduate education as not only an investment in my future but also in the society’s well being.