Empowerment is something that has always been generously given to me by my family and friends. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who support and love me unconditionally and who believe in me more than I believe in myself. For example, in ninth grade, when I took driver's training at the height of my anxiety, my mom showed me an abundance of support. I was at a pretty low point where I had very little belief in myself left. I was petrified of driving and afraid of sitting in a large class setting. You can't do this. You're not good enough. Why even try? The voice in my head kept saying. Every driver's training class, every drive, was a battle. I know with absolute certainty that I would not have been able to complete driver's training without my mom. She understood me and saw my terror, and she believed in me and made that very clear. I think that's a big part of what empowering others is: believing in them. The things that others tell us about ourselves have a profound impact on us and how we perceive ourselves. Therefore, when someone says that they know you can do something, or that they are proud of you, or that they are standing by you, it can change what you believe about yourself and provide you with strength and power to do hard things. I feel that so far in my life, I have received far more empowerment than I have given. As a quiet person with social anxiety, I have struggled with knowing how to empower others and having the courage to do so. In the past two or three years however, things have begun to change. My friends and family have been empowering me continually throughout my entire life, but I feel it is only in the past few years that I have really allowed this empowerment to sink in and slowly alter how I feel about myself. During the past few years, the combination of a flood of empowerment from my loved ones and the achievement of tasks that felt like mountains to me has resulted in me feeling truly empowered. The past few years have been filled with multiple challenges that I was unsure I could get through, such as getting a job, going in for interviews, completing driver's training, and talking into a microphone in front of a group of people. Though these things seem small, and “normal,” they were things that I told myself I would never be able to do. The completion of these events (however imperfect) empowered me by proving to me that I am capable of doing things that feel really hard. However, I never would have been able to do these things without the empowerment and support from my loved ones. I have felt firsthand the life-changing impact of being empowered by others. Now that I have been empowered by countless individuals to become more confident and true to myself, I wish to do the same for others in need of empowerment. By believing in others, encouraging them, helping them find and use their talents, and simply being there for them, I can play a part in the empowerment of others. I believe that empowerment has a ripple effect. My goal is to play a small part in this ripple, by allowing myself to be empowered so that I can then go on to empower others.

Different life experiences have shaped me and shown me that many people in my community are in need, and this has led me to choose a career in social work. Packing weekend bags of food for children in low-income families has shown me that there are children in my community who face burdens that no one should ever have to face, especially a child. Volunteering at a resource and community center for immigrant families in my community has also opened my eyes to some of the challenges they face, such as adjusting to a completely new culture and facing a language barrier. At the center, there are many families who have arrived only recently, and they face numerous challenges, from communicating with those around them and finding good jobs. These experiences with some of the struggling members of my community have helped me realize that there is a huge need for compassion and support in society. Through my battle with social anxiety, I have been learning what it feels like to face hidden challenges, and I want to use what I am learning to help others who may be struggling alone and in silence. The areas of social work that I am considering are working in the foster care system or working with refugees. I know that I want to work with children and families. No child should ever feel unsafe, neglected, or hungry, but unfortunately, there are children who regularly experience this. My goal is to help protect and advocate for these vulnerable members of society, and make a difference in the lives of these children and their families. I want to help meet their tangible physical needs but also help them feel safe, valued, seen, and respected. In either of these areas of social work, I would be working with people going through unimaginably hard times. I hope to be an advocate for them and their needs, as well as a support and comfort for them. I plan to try my best to always show compassion, kindness, and understanding to the people that I encounter throughout my career. Many of these people will have gone through utterly horrific experiences and may no longer believe that the world can be good to them. My desire is to be gentle with these people and help them see that there is still goodness in the world and that they deserve to be treated well. I hope to play a role in helping to mend our broken society.

From a young age, I have adored children. For the past three years, I have volunteered in my church’s children's ministry. This experience made my love of children grow. Packing weekend bags of food for a local ministry opened my eyes to the fact that numerous children face burdens that no one should have to worry about. More recently, I began volunteering at the West Michigan Friendship Center, a community and resource center for immigrant families. Volunteering there has shown me some of the challenges that immigrants face, such as language barriers and adjusting to a new culture. These experiences with children and families have solidified my desire to provide support to people facing difficult situations. A career that will allow me to do this is social work. I am excited to become a social worker because I want to provide support to struggling members of society. I don't know yet what type of social work I will pursue. However, I do know that I want to work with children and families. No child should ever feel unsafe, neglected, or hungry, but unfortunately, there are children who regularly experience this. My goal is to make a difference in the lives of these children and their families. The areas of social work that I am considering are working in the foster care system or with refugees. In either of these areas of social work, I would work with people going through unimaginable challenges. I would be an advocate for them and their needs, as well as a support and comfort for them. I would show compassion, kindness, and understanding to the people that I encounter throughout my career. Many of these people will have gone through horrific experiences and may no longer believe that the world can be good to them. My desire is to be gentle with these people and help them see that there is still goodness in the world. I hope to play a role in mending our broken society. As long as I can remember, I have been a quiet person. I enjoy interacting with people, but it often causes me anxiety. In the past, anxiety held me back in many ways, and I struggled to do simple things, such as talk on the phone or sit in a classroom. I spent most of my time at home, where I felt safe. When I was diagnosed with social anxiety, this opened my eyes to the fact that I’m not just nervous and introverted. I also have anxiety. It was a relief to understand this about myself and know why I am the way I am. I began seeing a therapist who helped me work through my struggles, and with her guidance and the help of my family, I have been pushing back against the fear that has controlled me. The anxiety is still there, just to a lesser degree. I am able to do hard things WITH my anxiety. I am not a brave person, but I have come to understand that it is possible to do things even when you’re terrified. It’s ironic for someone with social anxiety to become a social worker. But I believe this is the career I am meant to pursue. My journey with anxiety has shaped me and continues to form who I am. As I pushed through my anxieties, I developed perseverance and courage. When I faced the same anxiety-inducing situations over and over again, I learned resilience and patience. Going through challenging times has made me more compassionate and empathetic to others who are struggling.

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with general and social anxiety. For many years, my fear and anxiety held me back. I struggled to do simple things, such as talk on the phone or sit in a classroom. I spent most of my time at home, where I felt safe. I was also very private regarding my mental health struggles as I felt some embarrassment and shame and I didn’t know of anyone else who had these challenges. With the support and help of my family, counseling, and anti-anxiety medications, I have begun pushing back against the fear and anxiety that has controlled me. I have also become more open about my anxiety. Being honest about my anxiety helps me feel less shameful about it and it allows me to help others who are going through similar battles. My own experiences with anxiety help me be able to better relate to people who might be having mental health struggles of their own, and I have a greater awareness of those who might be having a hard time. From my own experience, I know how important it is for people who are struggling with their mental health to feel seen, heard, and remembered so I often send notes or texts of encouragement to friends and family who I know are battling with their mental health. I also drop off small care packages or gifts. Battling mental health can be very isolating so I try to help others know they are not alone. While I am in college, I will have multiple opportunities to continue to improve mental health. I know that college can be a time when many people face mental health challenges. By being open about my own journey, I can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, counseling, and medications. Because of my own experiences, I will probably be better able to notice when my peers are struggling, and I can encourage them to seek help. I can offer to listen to them, sit with them, pray with them, or walk with them to the health center. I can also share my own story so they know they are not alone but also see that there is hope. My career path of social work will also allow me to improve mental health in the future. Social work is a broad field but it often ties to psychology and mental wellness. I am very excited to become a social worker because I would love to be able to help provide support to struggling members of society. Whether I am working in a school setting, hospital, with foster families, or with refugees, I will have the opportunity to promote mental wellness.

I have always felt quite passionate about children and I love to spend time with them. I am currently involved in the children’s ministry at my church, as the leader of the toddler nursery room. Although these children are very young (two to three years old), I still try to help foster a community of acceptance. We try to make sure that every child feels welcomed and valued, and we discourage unkind behavior. At the same time, we try to reinforce positive and kind behavior among the children. I think that it is extremely important for children to learn kindness and to value others and themselves from a very young age. More recently (beginning in December 2024), I began volunteering at the West Michigan Friendship Center with the children. The West Michigan Friendship Center is a community and resource center for immigrant families. Getting to volunteer there has shown me some of the challenges that immigrants face, such as language barriers and adjusting to an entirely new culture. Some of the families that come to the center have arrived in the United States only recently and speak little to no English. The children that I interact with at the center typically are between the ages of about two years old and 13 years old. Most of the time, the children are kind to each other, but once in a while, there are unkind words or behaviors, which I try to discourage. I also hope that I can help foster an environment that is welcoming and warm. I feel that children often act in a way that corresponds with the environment they are in and what they are exposed to. So I hope to expose them to kindness and gentleness. I also hope to help the children feel safe and understand that bullying will not be tolerated. Some of these children may face rudeness or bullying at school because they are from a different country and have a different culture than most of their classmates. I hope to help make the Friendship Center a place where they feel safe, valued, and loved. I will be paying for most of my college education on my own, which will leave me with some financial need. I try to limit my spending and work a reasonable amount, but I don’t have a ton of money saved up for college. In addition to my job as a busser at a restaurant, I also occasionally pick up babysitting jobs and pet-sitting jobs. I love spending time with kids and animals. I am currently involved in the youth group at my church and I am a part of a small dance team. My goal is to become a social worker so that I can provide support to struggling children and families in society. I would like to make a difference in the lives of these children and encourage positive and loving behavior among them. As I work alongside children, I will have opportunities to influence them in positive ways and discourage bullying of all kinds.

My goal is to become a social worker and provide support to struggling members of society, such as children in the foster care system. I hope that I can help make a difference in the lives of these children and their families by advocating for them, supporting them, and showing them compassion and kindness. In order to receive a degree in social work, I plan on going through the social work program at Cornerstone University. I will then pursue my Master’s Degree of Social Work at Grand Valley University. Social work is quite a broad field and I am not yet sure which branch of social work I will pursue. However, my top two considerations are working with children in the foster care system or working with immigrants and refugees. I am quite passionate about children, so whatever I do, I hope to work with children and families. My main goal and hope is to be a support to people going through some of the hardest times of their lives. From a young age, I have always felt quite passionate about children. For the past three years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer in the children's ministry at my church. I also got to help run a dance camp for young children with my dance team, and I have been able to volunteer at Vacation Bible School two times over the past few years. These experiences have caused my love of children to continue to grow. Packing weekend bags of food at Hand2Hand has opened my eyes to the fact that numerous children face burdens that no one should ever have to worry about, especially a child (such as if they will have enough food for their next meal). More recently (beginning in December 2024), I began volunteering at the West Michigan Friendship Center with the children. The West Michigan Friendship Center is a community and resource center for immigrant families. Getting to volunteer there has shown me some of the challenges that immigrants face, such as language barriers and adjusting to an entirely new culture. Some of the families that come to the center have arrived in the United States only recently and speak little to no English. These experiences with children and families have just solidified my desire to pursue a career in social work so that I can provide support to people going through difficult situations. In order to pursue my personal and educational goals, I have sacrificed some of my time and energy to go towards my schoolwork. I have declined going to some events or participating in some activities so that I can dedicate more of my time to school. I have also taken four dual enrollment classes over the past few years, which have taken up more of my time and energy than other classes would.

I was diagnosed with social anxiety and generalized anxiety about four years ago, but I feel that I have been struggling with anxiety for even longer. I actually switched to an online school for my seventh grade year because in-person school had been making me so anxious and exhausted. I would say that my anxiety reached its peak when I was about fourteen. I spent most of my time at home. Social settings that don’t phase most people would cause my heart to feel like it was going to pound out of my chest and my voice to become tight and small. I struggled to connect with my peers because I had so much worry about what they would think of me. My circle of friends shrank. Fortunately, I still had my family although I sometimes even lacked the emotional energy to connect with them. After therapy and lots of support from my loved ones, my anxiety has been starting to recede in recent years. I feel that dealing with anxiety has helped me understand how crippling mental struggles can be and that people can be fighting internal battles that others know nothing about. I have been incredibly blessed throughout my whole life; I have been raised in an amazing family, and I have never lacked anything. And yet I have still dealt with sometimes debilitating anxiety. This has caused me to wonder about those who have faced many more challenges than I ever have. If I have dealt with these mental struggles, haven’t they likely been facing such struggles with even greater extremes? I especially think about the children and families who are going through very difficult times (whether it’s finances, marriage, abuse, or neglect). When someone goes through any kind of trauma, I think this can have devastating effects on their mental health. For example, a child in the foster care system has undergone the trauma of being separated from birth parents (maybe even siblings), and possibly even abuse or neglect as well. A child in this situation should be able to receive an abundance of support, compassion, and kindness. My goal is to become a social worker and provide support to struggling members of society, such as children in the foster care system. I hope that I can help make a difference in the lives of these children and their families by advocating for them and supporting them. I will never understand the extent of the trauma that many of them have been through, but I do understand what it can be like to go to battle with your own mind. I hope that I can use this understanding to show compassion and empathy to those who are hurting and fighting mental battles of their own.