I will be a senior at Dickinson College in the fall of 2014. Although I am an International Studies major and Italian Language minor, I plan on going into the field of social work. Ideally, I will work for a few years to gain further work experience helping children, then go to graduate school to get my MSW.
Outside of school, I am involved in my community and have done a lot of volunteer and paid work with children. I participate in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and have worked at the Boys and Girls Club near my house for five years. Both of those experiences have greatly influenced my decision to become a social worker.
At the Boys and Girls Club, I have had the opportunity to watch children grow and mature over the past 5 years. It's been amazing to see the children who were wild 6 year-olds who always got in trouble become helpful 11 year-olds who stay out of trouble. I could only have gotten that experience at the Boys and Girls Club.
I've only done Big Brother, Big Sister for a year, but I absolutely want to continue. The child whom I mentor is a sweet, fragile boy with a very stressful home life. He has very low self-esteem and just needs someone with whom to speak. I desperately wish I coul do more than just listen to him, but at this point that is all I'm qualified to do. This is why I want to become a social worker. I want to have the tools and experience to help children who might not otherwise get the help they need.