Growing from patient to provider at my CHOC internship, I started working with a licensed clinical social worker in the After Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program. There, I collaborated with her on an evaluation of a teenage leukemia survivor. I admired how the social worker validated the patient’s struggles with anxiety, family, and body image. But after the patient repeatedly dismissed every piece of advice, I revealed I was also a cancer survivor. I understood her frustration with people viewing her as a survivor before viewing her as a person. All the client needed was the knowledge and comfort that she was not alone. The patient appeared to be more open towards the social worker’s recommendations about therapy and support groups. I felt so much more involved in that one appointment than I did in all the blood draws, surgical procedures, and cancer checkups that I observed on a daily basis. As a cancer survivor myself, I realized that I want to expand my passion for helping others beyond just the physical healthcare scene that enveloped my childhood. The social work profession rests on a foundation of respect. An advocacy-based profession focuses on assisting people to achieve a higher standard of living. Social workers may have a position of power, but we need to wield that power with compassion. It is not our place to judge our clients for the mistakes they have made; instead, we treat them with respect and help them realize that they are worthy of becoming better versions of themselves. It is my place to be a source of hope in a client’s life. Although I may not relate to every client’s situation, I have the empathy to grasp the emotions that people feel during times of hardship. I have the approachability that better prepares me to form lines of dialogue with different people, ranging from coworkers to families to large-scale communities. My ultimate goal in my social work career is to collaborate with other social workers to form youth organizations, group therapy sessions, and survivorship programs at children’s hospitals. Before I can achieve this, I hope that I can become more educated in assisting individuals from different backgrounds. I will use my career in a manner that is healthy for both the client and myself. Only then can I become the role model that I wished for myself and for future children as a social worker.

With my health compromised at eight years old, I was unlucky enough to be the girl whose childhood revolved around the fickleness of her cancer cells. Considering the naivete a little kid would have, I genuinely believed others when they told me that my life would return to perfectly abled bliss—right after I simply got my right leg amputated and finished 18 rounds of chemotherapy. I am a disabled, first-generation Filipino-American queer woman who understands the intersectionality behind social work and societal inequalities. After earning my cancer survivor title, I faced the psychological aftermath of my disease; unfortunately, my traditional Asian upbringing stigmatized mental health. Only in high school did I experience the psychosocial issues common among childhood survivors. Growing from patient to provider at my Children’s Hospital of Orange County internship, I saw myself in the kids whose only perception of health existed within the physical. As I shadowed different medical professionals, I was also trying to convince myself to become a nurse—a career that many of my fellow Filipino-Americans choose at the expense of their own passions in order to satisfy tradition. However, my true professional interest revealed itself only after I started working with a licensed clinical social worker in the After Cancer Treatment Survivorship Program. There, I collaborated with her on an evaluation of a teenage leukemia survivor. As the patient applauded her survivorship while overlooking her declining emotional state, I admired how the social worker validated the patient’s struggles with anxiety, family, and body image. But after the patient repeatedly dismissed every piece of advice, I decided to reveal that I was also a cancer survivor. I resonated with her feelings of being a burden to her immigrant parents and to her able-bodied friends. I understood her frustration with people viewing her as a survivor before viewing her as a person. I didn’t even really say much after that; all she needed was the knowledge and comfort that she wasn’t alone. After our conversation, the patient appeared to be more open towards the social worker’s recommendations about therapy and support groups. I felt so much more involved in that one appointment than I did in all the blood draws, surgical procedures, and cancer checkups that I observed on a daily basis. As a cancer survivor myself, I realized that I want to expand my passion for helping others beyond just the physical healthcare scene that enveloped my childhood. Learning to embrace my disability in college gave me the clarity and strength to combat injustices and educate those who perpetrate them. Social workers must understand that their role is to help clients become happier versions of themselves by offering them the help and resources to overcome systemic inequalities. I am a headstrong advocate for disenfranchised communities, especially my fellow women, people of color, disabled, and queer individuals. My passion for social justice is the driving force behind my leadership, organization, teamwork, empowerment, and self-assessment skills. Thanks to my life experiences and training, I have the perseverance and empathy needed to enter the social work profession. My ultimate career objective is to become a medical social worker in children's hospitals, just like the medical social workers that helped me in my own upbringing at children's hospitals. I look forward to combining my knowledge in micro- and macro-level practice to provide holistic care for children. I want to deliver more inclusive case management to disenfranchised communities systemically disadvantaged by hospital policies. As an LCSW, I plan to form youth organizations, facilitate group therapy sessions, and develop programs that extend mental healthcare resources.