My Public Speaking Experience

The purpose of this autobiographical statement is to outline my interest in the field of social work and why this is without a doubt my chosen career field. I was raised on a farm in rural Colorado. My mother was a Human Services Caseworker for the first half of her career and a Juvenile Parole Officer for the remainder of her career. She retired after 35 years of service. My father was a computer programmer. I also have a twin sister.

My grandparents and great parents lived nearby and cared for my sister and I while our parents worked.

Growing up on a farm, I was exposed to the continual life and death process through the many animals that we raised. It helped me develop a deep connection to land and animals. There is a compassion that is developed when you care for animals and know that you are responsible for their livelihood. I was surrounded by a sense of community and knew the value of hard work. Strong work ethics and Christian values were the foundation of my upbringing.

Although I was raised in a rural area, my parents drove us to school in a nearby city to attend a program that offered dual language education. I was in a bilingual (Spanish/English) immersion program from kindergarten through sixth grade. It was a school of need for monolingual Spanish speaking children and a school of choice for English speaking children. This school program emphasized acceptance, education and inclusion of many different cultures and belief systems. There was a pervasive theme of acceptance that was ingrained in the students due to the language and cultural differences among the students in this school. I developed friendships with children from various cultures, backgrounds and socioeconomic levels.

By the end of sixth grade I was fluently bilingual and biliterate and have continued language classes from that point forward. While attending high school, I simultaneously attended a local community college and earned my veterinary medicine technician assistant certification before I graduated from high school. I worked in the veterinary field while pursuing my Associates Degree to pursue my social work career. The veterinary experience helped me develop an understanding of how animals can become an important part of a support system to people, especially people with special needs.

I have a very close relationships with my parents, sibling and extended family members. I came to understand the importance of a strong support system and how so many people are challenged with not having this support. My definition of family became very broad. It did not just encompass my nuclear and extended family members, but my neighbors, community, and in essence all of God’s children. Due to my mother’s role in the criminal justice and social work systems, my sister and I had the opportunity to volunteer in many different settings with a variety of populations that included but were not limited to people in the criminal justice system, abused children, homeless people, hospice patients and victims of violence.

Through these volunteer opportunities and work through my church, I was able to identify challenges and strengths in a variety of individuals and identify how to broker services from various support programs. I also learned that it was imperative that individuals be empowered to participate in all processes that affect their lives and not just the recipient of services. I am trained in Motivational Interviewing, which has significantly impacted the way I communicate with people as well as my view of empowering people. Some of the principles of this doctrine involve expressing empathy, supporting self-efficacy/autonomy of the client and rolling with resistance.

I started college immediately following high school. During my first two summers of college, I went from Colorado to New York by myself to work at Camp Ramapo, which is a camp that serves children affected by social, emotional and learning challenges as well as children on the autism spectrum. This is where I found my passion for social work and specifically for working with this population. The position required extensive training in learning to work with children with special challenges, violent tendencies and behavioral issues.

I was a camp counselor the first year and was promoted to a supervisory position the second year. The supportive relationships that our team developed with these children were key to their success. It was also at this camp, where I met my current husband from England. Camp Ramapo is the only camp of its kind in the world, therefore, people come from all over the world apply to work at this camp. I met people from Israel, Europe, Africa and the United States. These have been long lasting friendships and have expanded my knowledge of various cultures. The job was emotionally and mentally challenging as it required the staff to live and work with the children. It was also physically challenging as it required the counselors to swim the entire length of a lake each morning and continually perform practice rescue techniques. This unique experience is where I found my true calling for Social Work as I watched these incredible children reach their potentials and grow as individuals.

Upon returning to my studies in Colorado, I immediately became employed at Foothills Gateway, while attending college. Foothills is an agency that serves individuals challenged with intellectual and emotional disabilities including those affected by autism spectrum disorder. It is an adult pre-vocational employment program. I was one of the youngest employees and was able to learn a tremendous amount from the staff who had worked in this program for their entire careers. I was part of developing individualized functional and behavioral assessments. I was also a part of continually strategizing to address group work dynamics and build positive relationships between the individuals. As part of my employment preparation, I participated in extensive training involving medication management, behavior modification programming, functional communication and resource networking. My philosophy is to embrace the differences possessed by these individuals and to celebrate their special contributions to this world.

I have worked with individuals from a variety of backgrounds with significant challenges as evidenced by my work in a portion of the Foothills Gateway Program which involved working with sex offenders. Working with juveniles who have committed sex offences as well as adult sex offenders is a unique challenge especially when these individuals have developmental and intellectual disabilities. This is an area where I have been able to apply the social work principal of social justice, as this is a population that are vulnerable to abuse and oppression due to their intellectual challenges. I am devoted to educating people about this population and creating situations where they can enjoy community activities and access resources. My role was not limited to teaching the individuals but also to educating the community at large about the acceptance of these individuals as contributing members of our society. These individuals perceive the world through a different lens. It is my passion to assure that these individuals are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. I plan to accomplish this through community outreach and education focusing on acceptance and inclusion.

Micah 6:8 states, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, ESV). This scripture applies to the practice of social work in many ways. This is such a great reminder that everyone is put on this earth by God. No matter who you are or what challenges you might face, you were put here by God for a reason. Therefore, we must not judge anyone who is walking this earth and show grace to all people who cross our paths.

In total there are twelve main social work roles and in the following paragraph I will be addressing ten of these roles as well as explaining how each role relates directly to me. The social work roles include public speaker, advocate, empowerer, counselor, facilitator, educator, enabler, mediator, initiator, and broker. Through my experience as well as my life outlook, I can see myself in all of them. However, the most prominent roles include speaker, advocate, educator, enabler, initiator, and broker.

I have taken numerous public speaking courses and love public speaking engagements in front of large groups. I plan to use my love of public speaking to inform people about available resources and to unite people. I think the role of public speaking and advocate go hand in hand. There are many great resources available to clients, however, depending on the need and area, there are also many deficits. Through my role as a public speaker, I can advocate for changes in the system. As an educator, I would use my communication skills and bilingual skills to educate clients, professionals and community organizations about the benefits of working collaboratively to develop resource networks among agencies and in communities. Next, I see myself in an enabler position, using the definition of a person who makes something possible. I feel very strongly about empowering individuals to speak up and advocate for themselves if they are able. By supporting clients, we can help them articulate their needs and become solution focused vs becoming system dependent. Being a positive enabler is about helping clients advocate for themselves and their needs. It is also about respecting their autonomy.

Finally, I see myself as an initiator and a broker. I chose initiator because I am respectfully assertive and not afraid to speak up. As an initiator, I plan to be the spark that causes a positive chain reaction. I consider it my duty to speak up regarding social injustice. For example, I once had to speak out against a co-worker once I discovered they were perpetrating abuse against another employee. I also chose broker because I intend to collaborate and partner with my clients to access available resources to assure that their needs are met. This means taking a comprehensive approach to assure that the mental health, educational, physical, emotional and spiritual needs are being addressed. A challenge will be assuring that people who need resources are aware of them and able to access them.

Finally, I will be discussing the six social work values. The core social work values include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As I was familiarizing myself with the true meaning of each value, I came to recognize that all of them are very similar to my own. As a child of a social worker, I began to develop a worldview that contained these values at an early age. I have always wanted to contribute to society by being of service to people and I started this at an early age by volunteering at various organizations. Social work is not just a job to me, but a way of life. When I worked at Camp Ramapo, I developed an understanding of social justice. I have strived to challenge the system regarding the disabled population. Regardless of a person’s past choices or current abilities, everyone deserves a fair opportunity in life. I plan to help people who need support in achieving their full potential.

Regarding dignity and worth, I believe most individuals want the same thing: to feel valued, to learn and to experience success. That is what we as social workers are charged with, to help people achieve their goals and to feel valued. However, it is imperative that we work with people in a respectful and inclusive manner. Never making a person feel demeaned because they need assistance. It is our job to strengthen individuals and communities and this can be accomplished through relationships. Human relationships are imperative to field of social work. Our world rises and falls based on relationships; whether between individuals, communities or entire countries.

As social workers it is essential that we help clients build strong social networks and circles of support. By building healthy professional relationships with clients, we are role modeling how to support each other while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Next, I will address integrity. Integrity is at the forefront of everything I do: sports, school, work, and life in general. To me it is the very foundation of a social work career. By modeling integrity, you are setting an example for all people. For me, the ten commandments are the definition of and guide to integrity.

Finally, competence. The technology of the world changes rapidly. It is our responsibility as social workers to stay abreast of the latest research and continually advance our skills. After earning my BSW, I plan to pursue an MSW and LCSW. We owe it to the people we serve to not only help them set goals but to set and achieve goals for our career development. To continually define ourselves not just as teachers, but as learners. In conclusion, social work is my passion and my calling. I love to help people and will work diligently to help individuals overcome barriers in order to achieve success. I have been extremely blessed to find my passion early in life. I have an amazing support system and know the importance of creating a work/life balance.

My life goal is to help those who God has placed in my path. I truly believe that I have the skills, patience and perseverance to rise to the challenges of this profession and to make a meaningful contribution to the field of Social Work.

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