People used to ask me, why I chose to the social work profession and I would tell them

because I had a passion for helping others. It was not until recently that I discovered that many of
my life events have led me into pursuing a career as a social worker. My very first encounter has
to be the most personal for me. Growing up my family lived in poverty. My mother was a single
mom of seven children; we stayed in subsidized housing and received assistance from the state
of Michigan. Eventually my mother gained financial stability but the hardships I went through as
a kid greatly impact my views on society and the well being of others. Later on in life my mother
went on to having foster children. Living and growing up with foster children is another major
event in my life that made me want to advocate for populations at risk. While my mother never
mistreated her foster children, they would tell stories of the abuse and neglect they experienced
growing up in foster care system. During my high school years I had another experience that led
me to pursue a career in the social work field. At the high school I graduated many of the
students were ill prepared to take the next steps after high school. They were not properly
educated on many things that were related to post high school graduation. It was so shocking to
me. It was even more shocking to discover that many of the staff did not care and the education
system showed little to no interest in changing that. Lastly, it was my experience e as a certified
nursing assistance that finally led me to purse my social work career. As a certified nursing
assistant I was the struggle and inequality that many of the seniors faced and I knew then that I
wanted to help impact society and those who facing adversities that go beyond their reach.
In addition to my personal experiences growing up, taking part in Wayne State University
of Social Work WOW, Where Online Works, program also has contributed to my social work
career. Not only does Wayne State have a exceptional traditional program it now offers an online
program that learning as a social work student to another level. Initially, I had doubts about the

program and I was not sure how learning in an online environment would impact me. However,
now that I am able to reflect on the program I can discuss how it has help build the foundations I
needed to be a social work profession. Wayne States WOW program taught me how diverse the
social work field could be. The program itself was diverse and different from many other social
work programs that teach students in a traditional classroom setting. We communicated
electronically through emails, video chats, voice threads, and power points. We also had face to
face meetings that were designed to help us build our social work skills. The WOW program
greatly impacted my research and writing skills which both will be need once I began practicing
as a social worker. Through writing assignments and time spent working with a writing tutor I
began to improve skills needed to further my career.
Lastly, my field education assignment also contributed to the foundation of my social
work career. During my field placement I was an intern at Covenant House Michigan where I
worked as a resource specialist connecting homeless youth with resources needed to gain
independency. My field assignment was my first hands on experience in dealing with social
service. At first I was frighten that I would not be able to provide the services that the
organization or its client asked of me. However after been at the Covenant House for a week I
was well adjusted and confidence in my skill. At the Covenant House my two biggest issues I
faced was making sure I dressed professionally and dealing with inappropriate behavior from
clients. Fortunately, for me I had a field instructor that educated me on dressing appropriately
and dealing with clients who try to cross professional boundaries. After completely my field
placement assignment I am able to reflect on many things I have learned such as terminating or
ending services, ethical dilemmas and seeking resources for clients. Overall, I feel as though I
am prepared for the next steps need for this profession.