Under the threat of my mother leaving me on my own, I decided to pursue a college degree with encouragement from my sister as well. She recently began her college journey only two years after I started my own. Higher education has been the saving grace of all minority households for as long as I have understood the value of education and earning money. A higher form of education sets you back financially in the U.S. with the idea that you'll earn that and more in your future career. There was no room for preparation past the part of actually applying for different colleges. I just jumped in head first and hoped for the best. I filled out the FAFSA information on my own and hoped that the government would not flag my account for any reason. I accepted the offer that was the highest of the 6 colleges I applied for and hoped that I could survive on my own much like I was doing before in high school. As a first-generation student, I am proud of how far I have come. My sister has completed some certifications and set the path for her kids to go to college as I have. My niece and nephew are twins attending two different colleges and I am offering as much help and advice as I can as a fellow college kid. I am a 23-year-old kid not ready for the world but excited to get my degree and make my family proud. Anthropology and Sociology are my major and the career I hope to seek out will be within the field of social work if possible. The goal is to provide for myself and my mom much like she did for me and my sister. Giving back is always the motivation for pursuing a higher education. i am here because it is something my mom never got to do in order to provide more for her children. i am educating myself because I am meant to lighten the load a bit before my mom can leave this world. I am here to make her life a bit easier before she leaves me on my own to make my life what I want it to be. A higher education gives me the opportunity to open my mind and stave off the onset of ignorance. Awareness of the world around me as well as the impact I can have goes hand in hand with a higher education. I am motivated by a willingness to learn and understand the world we live in. That is why I am pursuing a higher education.

Childhood trauma can be experienced in many ways that often seem normal to the parents enacting the trauma itself. Whether it is through discipline or simply the environment that they are cared for in, trauma experiences have a long-lasting effect. I, myself, have experienced trauma that still affects my actions and goals in life even with the help of therapy. from money saving to daily self-care and upkeep. From my experiences and from the knowledge I have of the world as it is now, I seek to enter the field of social services. I want to help those who have suffered as I have and worse. I want to provide a haven for kids to get the help they need and in the proper formats. If I can help the parents as well, it will be a bonus. Childhood trauma is always going to affect someone whether they are self-aware or not. Fighting against societal expectations as well as dealing with the ins and outs of growing up are tough tasks that everyone goes through. With the addition of social services, that leaves little room for the struggle to continue into adulthood. There the chance for therapy and help lessens because of the free will that dictates that help is not needed or makes one look weak and helpless. Mentality and personality are shaped by our everyday experiences. Jobs are often chosen for us before we can even begin to decide on our own. Pressure to align to ideals is forever on the forefront as we grow and educate ourselves. Providing services for children to explore interests different from what they are forced to learn in school alone helps broaden their horizons. Allowing for the expansion of the brain can give way to healthier living and object associations. With a degree in psychology with a focus on social services and human interactions, I can give a child a new perspective on the life they will live moving forward. Understanding the self and the world around them as it changes and becomes more and more against them. Society is not going to welcome a child of the system unless there is worth to be taken from them. A child of the system becomes another label and statistic without the right help. I hope to help them avoid that. Avoid what may seem like the inevitable with just enough help. Social services is the area I believe can help, even if it is just a tiny bit. It can go a long way. Childhood trauma can be experienced in many ways and seeing the signs is just part of the start to lessen the overall effects of it. Trauma does not have to define a person but it can be a source of strength and building. Providing help and resources for children is the goal, especially in the world we live in today.