[LisbethT]

Lisbeth Trinidad
Professor. A. Rahman
HUS Seminar
10/20/2017
Professional Essay
My name is Lisbeth Trinidad. I was born and raised in Neyba, Dominican Republic during the first part of my childhood. My parents then brought me to the United States at the age of 5. I’m currently living in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a Human Service major at The New York City College of Technology. Being that my family wasn’t really aware in knowing anything about Human service or mental health, I also wasn’t aware until I hit college. That’s when I decided I would love to be a part of something that can have a great impact in people’s life. This is my professional essay.

What Influenced me into going into this profession is seeing how mental health and the state of one’s well being can really affect their life. Working across the street from a shelter and mental health place, I was exposed to different types of mental illness. Right outside the window from my job, I also seen different types of odd behaviors. I have learned that there are different interventions and methods that work in helping people. Having a 3 nephew who has autism was really the first time I ever thought and was curious about mental health. Working with him, helping him learn new things and playing with him had me thinking that this is something I actually might be good at and also like. Feels good knowing that I can make an good impact in someone’s life even if it’s a small one. Also, knowing that there is so much to learn about not only about this population but other populations. As I take Human Service classes I realized all the interesting cases I can be working with, also issues and populations. Being that this profession is so broad, I’m not limited to just working with one population or issue. Being in my classes and learning how one’s life can be turned around for the better and go back to its prior state with the help of a HUS professional really impressed me.

One of my strengths is that I’m a very patient person. Having patience in this field is important because certain cases and situations might not go how you expected to and in the time frame, so you have to be patient. Also I love kids, I’m always interacting with them which they require a lot of patience and attention because they are still developing physically and cognitively. Another strength I have is that I’m very goal oriented, so once I start something I have to get it done the right way, no matter what it takes. Which is something that always keeps me going. I’m also a great listener, which is why a lot of my co-workers always come to me and open up when they going through something personal.

Working as a cashier really improved my skills in communicating with different types of people and also I’ve learned about different cultures. which is important as a human service professional because we’re going to be working with different cultures and ethnic group so it’s good to be educated on them so you can understand why they make certain decisions and why they do what they do.
My population of interest is adolescents, children, children with disabilities/mental illness. Children and adolescents have a whole life ahead of them. I feel like there are more issues I can work with in these two populations. Also situations that they encountering that I may have encountered in my life. These populations are the ones that need guidance into going through the right path of life which I know I can guide them through. I love kids and seeing how they are growing, not physically but also mentally. I want to make sure these children are getting the right type of care and assistance they need. One skill i’ll need to learn is learning how to respond to certain behaviors of children with mental illnesses. Not getting stuck and knowing what to do right away. Also, I can be very emotional, which I’m sure i’ll learn how to cope with it as I work in the field. With adolescents, They are at that age where they are finding themselves, which I know a lot of obstacles can be encountered. With these populations not only can they learn from me but I can also learn from them. A skill that I have begun to develop is showing empathy, instead of feeling sympathy, understand them and what they’re going through then helping them.

From now to ten years I see myself graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human service . Then taking sometime off and getting a job in a school or working with foster children. After a year, I’ll go back to school and get my Masters degree as a Psychologist to further my education, skills, and knowledge. As a person who will love to travel around, I see myself working abroad with different populations, not only would I make a change in New York City but also around the world. As I get through my career I also plan on getting out of my comfort zone and work with different groups instead of limiting myself to one or two. But for now my two main interest are children and adolescents.

Being that this is only my second year into the Human Service field, I’m looking forward to see what more this field has in store for me. I want to be someone who other people can look up to and learn from. I know there are challenges that I might face but hope is something i’ll never lose.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by LisbethT.