I was born on May 22nd, 1995 in Stony Brook Hospital in Suffolk County, Long Island. At a young age I found I enjoyed video games, working out, art, and skateboarding. Growing up in Riverhead, Long Island, I graduated from Riverhead High school in 2013 and decided to pursue a career in human services at CUNY City Tech not just to help people but gain experience for myself. My hometown of Riverhead and Brooklyn are very different from each other and I’ve found this location is a better place to chase my dream of working within the skateboard industry as a professional. Aside from my dreams, my parents have invested a lot in me not to mention I worked hard myself throughout high school to get here so school comes first. After City Tech I would like to attend graduate school for education or art therapy to become either a grade school guidance counselor or an art therapist.
Originally in my junior and senior years of high school I had wanted to major in psychology and also found interest in philosophy. After completing a college level psych course my senior year of high school, I had grown bored of the class, lost interest in the major, and decided to change my focus. When looking at my alternatives I decided human services would be ideal because I always felt I could relate on some level to those I would be helping if I were to become a social worker or therapist, hypothetically speaking. What motivates me to possibly become a grade school guidance counselor is the idea of helping kids in a school environment and being able to take summers and vacations off. When I enrolled for City Techs human service classes I was introduced to other areas of the profession such as art therapy, advocacy and youth services. After my first year in college I gained a little insight to which jobs earned the most money and what kind of work and experience each career involved. Following City Tech I would like to enroll in graduate school to earn a higher degree but have not yet looked into any as I still have over two years to complete here.
Personally, I see myself as a people person so when dealing with clients I find it easy to put myself in the shoes of others to help get them through their struggles. Confidentiality is a trait in the human service profession that I greatly appreciate. One reason is that not gossiping about people in general is a sign of a genuine person. When I hear individuals talk behind other’s backs they lose some of my respect. So maintaining confidentiality isn’t something I see myself ever having issues with in the future of my career. I like to challenge myself within the work zone by trying to make every day better than the last. I also like to challenge myself outside of work when I try to learn new maneuvers on my skateboard. This makes me an effective worker and allows me to gain experience from each challenge I encounter and overcome. As far as culture and diversity go I grew up in one of the most diverse towns on Long Island and studied the French language and culture for six years through grade school. I am fluent and can hold conversation in French. In the multiple restaurants I’ve worked in I’ve also been able to pick up some basic Spanish by working along side Spanish speaking immigrants. In just this past year I have made some good friends ranging from Yemen, India, China, France, Brazil, Italy, the U.K and Iraq here in New York.
I would like to work with the youth as my client population. I think working with middle or high school students as a guidance counselor is ideal because I am still young myself. By the time I can secure a position within a school I will definitely be older but will have more experience in the human service field. I’d most likely continue to learn a lot about younger people the longer I worked in grade schools. As a student who went through the college enrollment process, I found that guidance counselors did the most to point me in the right direction when it came to which school to apply to and choosing a major for myself. My high school guidance counselor, Mrs. Cobis was always available whenever I wanted to talk to about my future and helped suggest classes I take so I could figure out what it was I wanted to do with my life. Before the college process even begins the guidance counselors in my schools helped to set up my schedules based on what I might find interesting. Working as a grade school guidance counselor is much different from careers like therapy or case management; many skills developed through out my courses may not come into play If I were to attend graduate school to become a guidance counselor. Instead, having knowledge of career paths and colleges would be more useful.
Upon graduating from City Tech with my Bachelor’s degree, I would like to sharpen my skills and become a better human service worker by attending a two-year graduate school somewhere and attaining my Master’s in education to become teacher certified. While attending school I would also like to find work at a human service agency working with the youth -Not only for the salary, but also for the experience of course. After having my Masters degree I can apply anywhere I want and that really opens a lot of doors because I can go just about any where in the world. I plan to network with my family, friends and colleagues so I have many options to choose from when looking for positions.
Human services is a profession whose workers are devoted to helping our clients. When I found out last year that social workers often work two jobs and don’t make much money, I realized I wanted to do something aside social work but still within the human service major. Other than working in a school as a guidance counselor, making a living doing art therapy has always been a second option I’ve thought about. Not to contradict myself, but just an idea I’ve taken into account if I were to change what I wanted to do with my life. Working out of my own agency or office, or within a nursing home is how I envision myself working as an art therapist. Art in general has always been of interest to me but I have no understanding of art applied to the human service profession currently. The idea of having the weekends and most of the summers off as a guidance counselor still takes first place in my mind as a solid career that I believe I would enjoy doing.
My motivation, exposure to other more diverse cultures, and desire to challenge myself within an agency will definitely transcend to an even more professional level as I continue to experience more as a Human Service worker.
