Personal Biography
I was raised and brought up in a broken home characterized by the lack of adult supervision .This was due to the internal wrangles that rocked my family and my parents marriage in my early age. My sibling and I witnessed our parent frequently dispute and quarrel with total disregard of how this would impact on us as children. I was barely ten years old when my parents settled for a divorce that left me greatly devastated. The divorce was the final blow to our close-knit nuclear family opening the door for many unpleasant childhood experiences. It eventually led to my living with different guardians and relatives and my mother from time to time. This came to an abrupt end when I attained sixteen years of age. The social workers separated me from my mother who unfortunately had become a drug addict and a pale shadow of her former self.
My mother had been nursing an alcohol and other drug substance addiction for a long time that deterred her from fully meeting her obligations as a parent to my physically challenged brother and myself. The social services department ascertained that she was in no proper condition both mentally and financially to cater for the basic needs of her children. This made a separation with my physically challenged sibling that had grown to be part of me inevitable. My brother was put into state custody due to his physical condition, while I was forced to seek refuge from different relatives but not for long. My kin hosted me for a while before I finally emancipated myself. If it were not for the social workers, I believe, my life would have turned up differently probably for the worse.
Personal History
I started working at a very tender age of fourteen years. The little earnings that I made went to my studies and my upkeep. I got involved in a work-study program at school a few years later. This was a positive stride in my life as it ensured that I stayed at school while at the same time earning my livelihood. This has been the norm ever since till I reached my adulthood as I had no one to rely on. It would be prudent to say that I learned to be independent very early in life. In 2004, I managed to get an admission in a community college which lasted for only that year. The stay at the college saw me juggling between books and work. I eventually discontinued my studies due to the high cost of living. I could no longer pay my fees.
I took up a full working schedule in order to manage my rent and my car maintenance. This meant me switching between shifts and jobs in order to live comfortably. This went on for a long time making my life seem all predictable and unsatisfactory due to the daily strenuous work routines. This made me feel empty and really demoralized for not following my dreams and goals. I wanted more out of life which would be possible if I deviated from the life that I had become accustomed to. The Navy was the ideal place for me as it provided me with a platform to serve my nation and at the same time meet my desires.
Joining the Navy helped me step out of my cocoon and enclosed routine life. I served in the naval forces for eight years. The eight years enabled me transverse globally. The voyages were really beneficial and opened my eyes to the diverse cultures and realities of the world. The naval experience was brilliant as it helped me get acquainted with individuals from different officers who had enlisted in the force.
I would like to work with the elderly and at risk youths. This is mostly drawn from my past experience as a child and a young adult. I have a soft spot for the elderly particularly because of their vulnerability and neglect they face as they advance in age. It saddens me to see once able-bodied individuals being mismanaged and shunned due to their age and inability to do some tasks that they once carried out effortlessly. I believe it would be both fulfilling and therapeutic for me, judging from my bleak childhood past. The at-risk youths on the other hand draw me because their experiences resonate with mine. They need proper care and guidance in order to face and take up their challenges positively and emerge better individuals in the long-run. The two groups, in my opinion, are the most neglected and misunderstood.
I attended Eastlake high school and graduated in the year 2003. This was sequentially followed by my enrollment to a community college which lasted for a year, as stated earlier. While in the navy, I also had a chance to attend a few classes at the National University and later transferred to Brandman University. It is at this university that I am currently undertaking my Bachelors’ degree in Psychology. I believe that by applying for a master’s program in social working at Lorna Linda University will be vital in helping me achieve my core goals to serve the neglected two groups, the elderly and at-risk youth. I also identify with the core Christian beliefs and principles professed by Lorna Linda University. It has a good background in health-sciences related studies which makes it the ideal place for me to advance my academic goals and desire to further my knowledge in the social working.
