My interest in working with children started because I did not have a perfect childhood. When I was in preschool, what felt like a never-ending cycle of never unpacking my clothes and never feeling at home anywhere began. In the third grade, my family moved into a condo that I believed was going to be perfect, the place where I would spend my time until I went off to college. I was wrong. There were many times I came home from school and the lights would not turn on, the water was cold, the cabinets were empty, and my mom was gone. This continued even when we moved during my sophomore year of high school. My mom chose her romantic relationship instead of paying the bills and buying groceries, long enough for us to get evicted. I have spent most of my life feeling, and actually being alone in my room and going outside pretending everything was perfect. High school was very difficult for me because I understood what was going on and it caused me to feel unloved, depressed, and suicidal. Working with abused and neglected children became a passion for me during my freshman year of college when I wrote a paper about child abuse and neglect. Writing this paper brought out so many emotions I didn’t know I had because I was learning so much. The number of children that die as a result of abuse and/or neglect broke my heart. The thought of the number of children that are falling through the cracks also breaks my heart. I also realized that some cases of neglect are caused by people's lack of resources. I want to be someone that can help children and their families. My passion deepened this year when I wrote a letter to Governor Mike Parson about the approved budget cuts in the Department of Social Services, specifically in the Children’s Division. While doing the research for this letter, I became so angry at how child welfare social workers are treated and how little they are paid when they have such an important job of protecting children. These budget cuts have not decreased my passion for wanting to help children, but it does scare me. I realized if these cuts did not deter me, being a social worker is something I want to do. My aspiration of wanting to be a social worker began solely because I could relate to children living in less than ideal circumstances, but it has blossomed into a passion rooted in service and advocacy, not only for children but for low-income communities and social workers. Since children do not have a voice in the political and social arenas because they can not vote, they depend on adults for care and protection, and they are unable to mobilize on their own, I am determined to be a voice and advocate for them. They must be protected and prioritized. I am working toward my goal of becoming a pediatric social worker, but before I get there I hope to work for the Department of Social Services or in a school.