McCusker Family Scholarship

The first time I truly understood the power of simply being there for someone was when a teammate came to me during a difficult moment in her life. She was not looking for advice or solutions. She just needed someone to listen. As a basketball team captain, I have learned that leadership goes far beyond performance on the court; it requires empathy, patience, and the ability to support others through both their successes and their struggles. In that moment, I realized how impactful it can be to make someone feel heard and understood. That experience played a major role in shaping my desire to pursue a career in social services. My name is Dejah Morgan, and I am a dedicated and compassionate student with a strong interest in psychology and helping others navigate challenges in their lives. Through my role as a team captain, I have developed important skills such as communication, responsibility, and leadership. More importantly, I have learned how to connect with people on a deeper level. I have seen how much of a difference it makes when someone feels supported, especially during times of stress or uncertainty. These experiences have inspired me to pursue a path where I can continue to uplift and guide others in meaningful ways. In my future career in social services, I plan to make a positive impact by working directly with individuals who may feel overlooked, misunderstood, or unsupported. I am especially passionate about helping young people who are navigating personal or emotional challenges, as I understand how important it is to have someone who listens without judgment. I hope to create safe and welcoming spaces where individuals feel comfortable expressing themselves and seeking guidance. By building trust and strong relationships, I want to help others develop confidence, resilience, and a sense of direction in their lives. In addition to providing direct support, I also hope to advocate for greater awareness surrounding mental health and access to social services within my community. Many individuals struggle in silence due to stigma or lack of resources, and I want to be part of the change that encourages open conversations and provides real support. Whether through one on one interactions or broader community efforts, I am committed to making a lasting impact. By combining my passion for psychology with my dedication to helping others, I hope to improve individual lives and contribute to building a stronger, more supportive community for everyone.

Imagine a scenario where a seven year-old child has experienced physical abuse in their home and is desperate to leave. The child tells a neighbor, and Child Protective Services is involved. After CPS has done a thorough investigation of the home and interviewed the neighbor, the child’s living situation is deemed unsafe. Following this incident, the child is removed from the abusive home by CPS and the child is set to live in a temporary foster home. Unfortunately, while the child is staying with this foster guardian, the situation takes a turn for the worse. The guardian abuses their power over the child, and is neglectful. The child is feeling anxious and hopeless after leaving their previous home, and now, isn’t quite sure what to do. This situation is new to them, and their mind hasn’t yet developed enough to process the abuse that’s happened to them. They’re unsure of what to tell the staff member when asked about how their foster parent is, as this sort of abuse is all that they know. The child will then proceed to say that everything is fine, and the staff member will acknowledge that, not questioning the child any further. My goal is to help benefit the foster care system the best that I can. I’ve had family and peers who were previously neglected by the same system, and their stories are something that you would have never expected from a system that is built on helping children in need. Growing up, I didn’t show interest in raising children. I feel that this is common, because when you’re young you don’t value the thought of being around children. Before my sophomore year, I wasn’t interested in Criminal Justice, and I even despised it. I didn’t have anything in mind for what I wanted to study, I was considering engineering but that was only because it’s what paid well. I didn’t have a passion at this age. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I began to reconsider. I was placed in the Criminal Justice pathway due to the engineering course not having enough people sign up for it, so it was dropped. I hated this, I hated law enforcement and anything that had to do with it, I was stubborn. I didn’t care about my coursework and I was satisfied with the thought of passing with a C. However, my teacher changed my opinion about Criminal Justice completely. My mom started to also throw in ideas within Criminal Justice, such as forensics and social work. My interest started to grow, as I realized there was more to it than just law enforcement. I became more interested in this pathway and participated in class and my work. This teacher would also speak on her opinion of foster care, as she had rough experience with it as well. Hearing her stories made me reconsider working with children, and since Criminal Justice offered a similar field, my passion grew. After graduating from high school, I plan to dual major in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I’d like to pursue a career in the social work aspect of Criminal Justice, rather than law enforcement. I’ve always wanted to foster, and becoming a forensic interviewer or counselor could help me fulfill that. Not only would I be benefiting the foster care system by doing this, but I’m also learning proper psychological tools to use when parenting. The communication between me and the child that I am fostering will be handled better compared to other cases of foster adults I have heard.

My name is Baleigh Morris. I am a senior at Commerce High School in Commerce GA. At the age of five I was put into foster care. I was separated from my siblings, and was constantly moving from home to home. When I would go back home with my birth mother, I would just end up in another foster home a month later. Thankfully I ended up in the same home with my siblings, and was adopted at the age of seven. Growing up I thought that what I went through was horrible, until I realized that my foster care experience was nothing compared to other people's stories. After years of believing that I wanted to go into the medical field, I finally realized that the best fit for me was a Social Worker. I never thought that I would want to go back, but then I realized that through Social Work I could help children and teens who had it like me or worse. The number one thing that I always wanted was someone who understood what I was going through on a personal level. That's when I realized that I could be an advocate for foster children. I could be someone who could relate to them while staying professional. I would never give up on them, and I would never have a blind eye when it came to what was best for them. While I was not able to permanently return to my biological home, I ended up in an even better place, a home, a place where I was loved and accepted. Once I become a social worker I will not give up until I find a home for where the foster child becomes part of a family, and does not have to feel less of the person that they are. I believe that through Social Work I can make a positive impact on my community through my career in social services by making sure that not only the foster children are safe, but by also making sure that the birth parents make the best decisions for not just their kid(s), but for themselves too. If a child goes back to a broken home, then it will only add to their trauma. Or if a parent could have fought but chose not to then regrets it later it would not do either side any good, because they would have a harder time getting them back. Overall when I become a social worker I plan to everything in my power to make sure that the foster children end up in the best possible place they can, and I will never leave them stranded in an unsafe environment.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress. Mental health has always affected me starting from an early age. When I was three years old, I lost my father due to a brain hemorrhage which, completely turned my world upside down. Once I transitioned into middle school I started thinking about how different my life would be if he were still on this planet. I thought about all of the things that he would not be able to do. He wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle at my wedding or see me receive my high school diploma or degrees at my college graduations. Losing my father has had the most significant impact on my mental health and I am still affected by it today. Mental health is very important and everyone should be able to get the help they need and find positive methods to help them. I learned how to cope with the loss of my father with music. Although I was only three years old when my father passed, I can remember my mom talking to me about my father being in heaven. I often thought that I would see him soon but was always reminded that he would not be coming back home. When I began to express to my mom how I felt she immediately started thinking of things that could help me cope. To name a few, we tried painting, cooking, and shopping which all helped to some extent, but nothing seemed to comfort me as much as hearing and playing music did. When I am stressed I take a break and just listen to some of my favorite songs. Some have special meanings in the words but some are simply soothing to listen to. Furthermore, I attended a fine arts magnet elementary school and I played the viola which comforted me as well. I enjoyed the sounds that were made when all of the instruments played together. I was very involved with music during my elementary career as I was in my school’s chorus as well as the honor choir for my school district. I began to discover my passion for music and realized how much it helped me to cope with the loss of my father. When deciding on what I wanted to do after high school, I was immediately drawn towards social work. A profession in social work will allow me to help those who are in need and struggle with mental health issues. I also want to use music as a positive method to help others. My future aspirations are to attend Georgia State University to earn a degree in Social Work and then further my education by earning an advanced degree in Psychology. My ultimate goal is to be able to assist others that are suffering from mental health issues and share ways for them to cope with them. I would love to sponsor a camp for young children which would include music, dance, and drama lessons designed to support them. When I become a social worker in the future, I aspire to make a positive impact on others regardless of their background. I truly want to make an impact on the lives of others so that they know that they can be happy even when they are experiencing sadness.