“How can I make a difference?” I have asked myself this millions of times as I thought of the world and its people. Life has never been easy on anyone, and it was not a smooth ride for me. From an early age, I had difficulty adjusting with my peers because I could not decipher simple arithmetical operations or understand why there was a “t” in the “kitchen.” I saw kids around me easily understand all of these while I had to face the embarrassment of being the dunce. Discouraged by my academic incompetence, I would prefer not to mingle with others and often ate my lunch alone during lunch hours.
Then one fine day, my English teacher, Mr. John noticed me and asked me to see him in his office. His help did not just extend to helping me with my academics but he gave me some simple yet powerful skills to communicate effectively, to cooperate and resolve conflicts. He taught me how to make decisions considering a holistic picture and, most importantly, how to maintain my emotional and physical health by prioritizing myself. To this day, I feel obliged to everything that Mr. John had helped me with.
Having been challenged academically as a young student and witnessed many others struggle, I cannot accentuate enough the significance of the guidance of a professional counsellor. We cannot recognize that as the world is evolving into a social, technological hub, we are being isolated in the race to display our best versions to the world. Nobody wants to be a pariah and eventually conform to the trends to be accepted socially. Our failure to accept our differences and function accordingly has caused many students to face problems such as eating disorders, depression, and social anxiety. I have always wanted to support these students from a young age to help them overcome their fears, learn how to channel their emotions positively, and succeed academically.
In addition to my love for knowing people and their lives, I have had a keen interest in psychology and the human brain’s functionality. The exceptional capabilities of the brain have never failed to captivate my interest or, as a matter of fact, anyone’s. To delve into the complexity of it, I took different courses during my undergraduate to learn more about the brain and how it reacts to various stimuli. I want to extend my knowledge of other fascinating conditions like personality disorders and how they develop and surface. Therefore, I presume that my determination, drive, and passion for this profession will help me achieve great heights.
My time at New Jersey City University as an academic coach provided me with deeper insight into the issues encountered by college students. Firstly, the pressure to choose a career path they will pursue is immense and often deteriorates their ability to perform well in academics. Having gone through college myself, I can relate to their dilemma all too well. However, I know now that college studies should not confine you to just your particular major, but most of the time, numerous sub-categories will cater to their interests and expertise effectively. Secondly, college students strive to balance their personal, social, and academic lives. The inability to do so leaves them with disappointment and lower self-esteem which leads to various psychological problems. It is imperative that these students are given professional guidance that will facilitate them to appreciate themselves and make informed choices.
I believe that multiculturalism and social justice are important aspects that need to be considered while counseling. Client and counselor relationships are a unique accord of identities and personalities. An understanding of the perspectives and cultural background of a client is necessary for a counselor to aid them in addressing their issues positively. The concerns of minority differ starkly from those of majority, therefore, these culturally diverse clients need to be dealt differently. For example, additional aptitude is required to attend to populations that belong to gay, transgender, bisexual, and lesbian communities to be aware of their worldview. This requires strategies and therapies to understand their respective religious values, beliefs, indigenous practices, biases, and family dynamics and how they affect these cultural groups. Same is the case with people belonging to different societies, especially from the third world countries. These people have unique problems rooting from their respective cultures which might not be resolved with our western context in mind. Thus, counselors must have Eastern contemplative approaches to mitigate their feelings regarding their emotional problems.
Furthermore, I am currently working as a teaching assistant working with students of all age. After exploring my career options, I have decided that I want to seek counselling as my career. After much research I found your institution to be the best fit for me. I know for a fact, that if given a chance to study under your most qualified instructors in the field of Counselling, I will be adept enough to fulfill my ambition to guide students and help them through crucial times of their lives. Moreover, I will probably not encounter the same diversity, one of the key facets I am searching for, elsewhere that I will experience in your university. As a prospective counselor, I want to gain as much appreciation and awareness of people as possible.
