As a Columbia University graduate, I anticipate obtaining my master's degree in May 2021, which I'd follow working at an NYC hospital. In this setting, I will sharpen my clinical skills, navigate and analyze the inner workings and policies of a medical facility while upholding an anti-racist framework. During this time, my focus will be on building a therapeutic alliance with my clients and obtaining feedback on my approach. Within the next three years, my goal is to have my clinical licensure and shift gears to a combination of forensic and clinical social work, where I can gain insight into the legal world and counteract the injustices that dominate the future adolescents hold. Considering my development in the field, I will begin establishing the foundation for my long-lived dream of having a trauma-based private practice. In my future private practice, I plan to have niches of both medical and social services aiding different age populations to provide well-rounded and effective programs that meet patients' immediate needs. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the objective will be to provide the necessary support to all patients to enhance their social functioning, project a sense of hope to combat the trauma experienced, and realign their outlook on life through a positive lens. To promote the wealth of services offered, I'd aim to have volunteers who could partner with workers from the practice and give presentations in schools, community centers, rehab facilities, children, and youth agencies about our work and success stories. The mission of my perspective practice will be to create a new paradigm refuting the normalized social habits of racism while instilling hope, motivation to prosper, and a sense of belongingness. The pervasiveness of impoverished children and adolescents handling issues without aid cannot prevail nor continue to dilute marginalized groups from thriving. With the help of this scholarship, I will begin the practices of alleviating the adverse societal and systemic injustices that heavily weigh on the youth and develop the tools necessary to transform their harsh realities. As an Afro-Latina who grew up in a low-income household, I know it's like not having what you need. And because of my real-life experiences with poverty, I dream of seeing my community thrive and rise above the ills of systemic racism. Throughout history, social service has provided aid for the needy to tackle their current issues, but it has also allowed them to remain complacent seated in the cycle of disadvantage. Therefore, as an uprising social worker, I strive to create a new social work paradigm that refutes the normalized ways of racism, social injustice, and social exclusion. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to advance my social work education, end the perpetual cycle of poverty in my family, begin creating the foundation for my practice; empower and gauge the needs of those in my community, and provide anti-racist services that uplift their dignity and worth as an individual on a micro and macro level.

Since college, I have seen the wounds the system has inflicted on NYC youth. My exposure to hopeless immigrant youth who view success as infeasible, along with the ignored needs homeless youth face, made it clear to me that I am destined to specialize in Children, Youth, and Family Services. However, my aspiration as a social worker in this field is no longer to provide support solely but to challenge the social injustices that invade their path, and through my work, evoke hope and inspire youth to overcome barriers fearlessly. Through Columbia University’s social work graduate program, I am slowly bringing this goal to life as it is a rigorous, innovative, and resourceful institution offering a dynamic and highly interactive environment for learning. Its vast array of opportunities, coupled with its wholesome curriculum of academic theory and real-world practice, thus shaping me into a well-rounded social worker - knowledgeable, well-rounded, and creative in my therapeutic approach. Looking into my future years, I aspire to alleviate the adverse societal and systemic injustices that heavily weigh on the youth through advocacy and by establishing a trauma-focused private practice that upholds a new paradigm through exemplary service. My prospective facility in the Bronx will offer social services embedded in evidence-based practices as well as overall clinical services. Through my Clinical Case Evaluation class, I've learned to pinpoint evidence-based practices that highlight the dignity and worth of individuals. I've gained the ability to be self-critical and introspective in my decision process when working with clients, and support them in ways that genuinely meet their needs. With your financial support, I will be able to relieve the financial burden of paying a costly prestigious private school and solely focus on the material taught in class, and continue to learn the tools and gain the experience necessary to move mountains and change the lives of the youth, one by one.

Within the next three years, my goal is to have my clinical licensure and begin the works of establishing the foundation for my long-lived dream of having a trauma-based private practice. In my future private practice, I plan on having niches of both medical and social services aiding different age populations aiming to provide well-rounded and effective programs that meet patients' immediate needs. The social services will include a diversity of child life programs that will promote children to express themselves freely. In particular, within my prospective facility, we will have a public display showcasing our client's accomplishments, school awards, music pieces, drawings/paintings, or poetry in a rotating fashion. Ideally, the practice will consist of a myriad of multi-lingual social workers and other practitioners, including pediatricians, child life specialists, speech pathologists, and neurologists that cater to the bio, psycho, social, and spiritual aspects of life. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the objective will be to provide the necessary support to all patients to enhance their social functioning, project a sense of hope to combat the trauma experienced, and realign their outlook on life through a positive lens. Workshops on parenting, nutrition, financial management, psychoeducation, and self-care presentations will also be an available resource. To promote the wealth of services offered, I'd aim to have volunteers who could partner with workers from the practice and give presentations in schools, community centers, rehab facilities, children, and youth agencies about our work and success stories. The mission of my perspective practice will be to create a new paradigm refuting the normalized social habits of racism while instilling hope, motivation to prosper, and a sense of belongingness. The pervasiveness of impoverished children and adolescents handling issues without aid cannot prevail nor continue to dilute marginalized groups from thriving. With your financial support; I can further my education and make my dream into an opportunity for brighter tomorrow. As an Afro-Latina who grew up in a low-income household, I know it's like not having what you need. And because of my real-life experiences with poverty, I dream of seeing my community thrive and rise above the ills of systemic racism. Throughout history, social service has provided aid for the needy to tackle their current issues, but it has also allowed them to remain complacent seated in the cycle of disadvantage. Yet, we have the power to change the lives of the youth in our community for the better. Therefore, as an uprising social worker, I strive to create a new social work paradigm that refutes the normalized ways of racism, social injustice, and social exclusion. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to advance my social work education, end the perpetual cycle of poverty in my family, begin creating the foundation for my practice; empower and gauge the needs of those in my community, and provide anti-racist services that uplift their dignity and worth as an individual on a micro and macro level.

As a Columbia University graduate, I anticipate obtaining my master's degree in May 2021, which I'd follow with working at an NYC hospital. In this setting, I will be able to sharpen my clinical skills, navigate and analyze the inner workings and policies of a medical facility while upholding an anti-racist framework. During this time, my focus will be on building a therapeutic alliance with my clients and obtaining feedback on my approach. Within the next three years, my goal is to have my clinical licensure and shift gears to a combination of forensic and clinical social work, where I can gain insight into the legal world and counteract the injustices that dominate the future adolescents can hold. Considering my development in the field, I will begin the works of establishing the foundation for my long-lived dream of having a trauma-based private practice. In my future private practice, I plan on having niches of both medical and social services aiding different age populations aiming to provide well-rounded and effective programs that meet patients' immediate needs. The social services will include a diversity of child life programs that will promote children to express themselves freely. In particular, within my prospective facility, we will have a public display showcasing our client's accomplishments, school awards, music pieces, drawings/paintings, or poetry in a rotating fashion. Ideally, the practice will consist of a myriad of multi-lingual social workers and other practitioners, including pediatricians, child life specialists, speech pathologists, and neurologists that cater to the bio, psycho, social, and spiritual aspects of life. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the objective will be to provide the necessary support to all patients to enhance their social functioning, project a sense of hope to combat the trauma experienced, and realign their outlook on life through a positive lens. Workshops on parenting, nutrition, financial management, psychoeducation, and self-care presentations will also be an available resource. To promote the wealth of services offered, I'd aim to have volunteers who could partner with workers from the practice and give presentations in schools, community centers, rehab facilities, children, and youth agencies about our work and success stories. I will also challenge the usual intake process and instead outreach to NYC youth and families who may be afraid to get help and offer. The mission of my perspective practice will be to create a new paradigm refuting the normalized social habits of racism while instilling hope, motivation to prosper, and a sense of belongingness. The pervasiveness of impoverished children and adolescents handling issues without aid cannot prevail nor continue to dilute marginalized groups from thriving. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to begin the practices of alleviating the adverse societal and systemic injustices that heavily weigh on the youth and develop the tools necessary to transform their harsh realities. With your financial support; I can further my education and make my dream into an opportunity for brighter tomorrow. As an Afro-Latina who grew up in a low-income household, I know it's like not having what you need. And because of my real-life experiences with poverty, I dream of seeing my community thrive and rise above the ills of systemic racism. Throughout history, social service has provided aid for the needy to tackle their current issues, but it has also allowed them to remain complacent seated in the cycle of disadvantage. Yet, we have the power to change the lives of the youth in our community for the better. Therefore, as an uprising social worker, I strive to create a new social work paradigm that refutes the normalized ways of racism, social injustice, and social exclusion. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to advance my social work education, end the perpetual cycle of poverty in my family, begin creating the foundation for my practice; empower and gauge the needs of those in my community, and provide anti-racist services that uplift their dignity and worth as an individual on a micro and macro level.

As a Columbia University graduate, I anticipate obtaining my master's degree in May 2021, which I'd follow working at an NYC hospital. In this setting, I will sharpen my clinical skills, navigate and analyze the inner workings and policies of a medical facility while upholding an anti-racist framework. During this time, my focus will be on building a therapeutic alliance with my clients and obtaining feedback on my approach. Within the next three years, my goal is to have my clinical licensure and shift gears to a combination of forensic and clinical social work, where I can gain insight into the legal world and counteract the injustices that dominate the future adolescents hold. Considering my development in the field, I will begin establishing the foundation for my long-lived dream of having a trauma-based private practice. In my future private practice, I plan to have niches of both medical and social services aiding different age populations to provide well-rounded and effective programs that meet patients' immediate needs. Social services will include a diversity of child life programs that will promote children to express themselves freely. In particular, within my prospective facility, we will have a public display showcasing our client's accomplishments, school awards, music pieces, drawings/paintings, or poetry in a rotating fashion. Ideally, the practice will consist of many multi-lingual social workers and other practitioners, including pediatricians, child life specialists, speech pathologists, and neurologists that cater to the bio, psycho, social, and spiritual aspects of life. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the objective will be to provide the necessary support to all patients to enhance their social functioning, project a sense of hope to combat the trauma experienced, and realign their outlook on life through a positive lens. Workshops on parenting, nutrition, financial management, psychoeducation, and self-care presentations will also be an available resource. To promote the wealth of services offered, I'd aim to have volunteers who could partner with workers from the practice and give presentations in schools, community centers, rehab facilities, children, and youth agencies about our work and success stories. I will also challenge the usual intake process and outreach to NYC youth and families who may be afraid to get help and offer. The mission of my perspective practice will be to create a new paradigm refuting the normalized social habits of racism while instilling hope, motivation to prosper, and a sense of belongingness. The pervasiveness of impoverished children and adolescents handling issues without aid cannot prevail nor continue to dilute marginalized groups from thriving. With the help of this scholarship, I will begin the practices of alleviating the adverse societal and systemic injustices that heavily weigh on the youth and develop the tools necessary to transform their harsh realities. With your financial support, I can further my education and make my dream into an opportunity for brighter tomorrow. As an Afro-Latina who grew up in a low-income household, I know it's like not having what you need. And because of my real-life experiences with poverty, I dream of seeing my community thrive and rise above the ills of systemic racism. Throughout history, social service has provided aid for the needy to tackle their current issues, but it has also allowed them to remain complacent seated in the cycle of disadvantage. Yet, we have the power to change the lives of the youth in our community for the better. Therefore, as an uprising social worker, I strive to create a new social work paradigm that refutes the normalized ways of racism, social injustice, and social exclusion. With the help of this scholarship, I will be able to advance my social work education, end the perpetual cycle of poverty in my family, begin creating the foundation for my practice; empower and gauge the needs of those in my community, and provide anti-racist services that uplift their dignity and worth as an individual on a micro and macro level.