passion

I finished my guidance final in 20 minutes and rushed over to the bursar's office for a refund. (I'm taking a chill semester and focusing on finding a bajillion jobs to pay for school next year) I had the most energizing conversation with a mom who decided to go back to school. She's in her 30s and came here from North Africa. I think she and I have a similar philosophy of life--we live so long that there is plenty of time to discover who we are. There will be changes in life or else our journeys would be predictable and boring. We want to model a lifelong journey of growth and acceptance, yet we will not take the negativity of others who cannot believe what we do is right, or who cannot understand that in this lifetime, you are either a person who tries, fails and learns or is too scared to change. I am fueled by her passion to grow. I want others to succeed and explore their options. I'm just really happy to have grown up in this country. I know if I were raised in a collectivist society, my values would be so strongly tied to my family's choices of what is "right or wrong". I am very thankful to have this opportunity to live during an era where the perspectives on learning and occupations are changing. We have such a long journey to live, there is no one way to live it, and I value my experience and people I meet along the way. I am looking forward to meeting the many more passionate people in this world, who will succeed for themselves, their children and to tell those who said they couldn't do it, they could. That made my day. :)

the choice to be a social worker.

I've blogged about this several times, and it never really seems to change about how I made the choice to accept my responsibility as a functional member of society. My passion has spread to all age groups and stages of life, but it will always go back to my first best friend in elementary school: she would ride her bike to my house to get away from her not-so-warm family environment. I remember bruises covering her legs and arms, it could have been from simply being a child, but her emotions and personality convinced me otherwise. I always wanted to protect her, and take her away to something better, but what could I have done? I was only six years old.

Kids aren't supposed to save each other from their families. That's how I felt, and when I was nine years old, I stated that I will become a social worker. I still wonder how she is, and I even tried searching for her on FB. She's my first inspiration to help others who cannot help themselves--children and the elderly.

Personally, my experience through certain life stages and coping has also directed me towards this greater understanding as well. Having had a friend, a love, commit suicide during my teens has given me strength and a deep understanding of how it feels to be at the bottom. I think it offers me a feeling of humanity when it comes to emotions and how fragile stability may be at times. I have some close friends who have difficulty living with their negative emotions, so I understand not all have the flexibility or personality to cope alone. I won't be able to counsel family or friends directly, because it's unethical and messy, but I can always listen and offer myself as a model for healthy personal growth and acceptance.

Through my college career the inspiration has come from many children I have worked with in several settings. It comes from ELLs who need fair treatment in understanding the content, young children who need informed parents so they can receive free guidance from the government or a general good start towards learning, children with special needs who cannot voice those needs who depend on professionals to read their cues, low SES kids who are so bright and resilient, but need that extra guidance to succeed. I see inspiration to continue every where I am, and with each child I meet. I have been priviledged to impact the lives of 15 individuals or families so far. I want to continue untill I reach at least 100. Round numbers are nice. lol