Why I Want To Be A Deaf Community

In my professional career I see myself working with the deaf population either as an interpreter or a social worker. I have a strong connection to this community and feel it is an underserved population. I plan to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a Senior Interpreter and I would like to work with clients and obtain a career at the county working for the Department of Mental Health. I want to make a difference in the community through my knowledge of the humans services profession, my knowledge of the deaf community and my ability to communicate in American Sign Language. My hope is to make a great impact on the community and continue to be a positive influence as well. My heart lies with the deaf community and I may even apply to
In the next 5-10 years I plan to continue my education and start a family. I will apply to graduate school in October either to get my MSW or become an ASL Teacher. Upon graduate school graduation I will apply for a position with the county. Also, I have thought about getting a Ph.D. I am not entirely set on this decision, but I will see where my journey brings me. I am working towards being the best example I can be for both my family and my friends. Being a first generation college student I have a lot of people watching me and seeing what moves I make next. I hope to influence other people to go back to school and I truly believe I have gained so much knowledge from taking the courses at CSUDH. I have taken various courses and some of the course that influenced me were courses in Political Science, Geography, and Intercultural Communications. These courses are all different, but they taught me not to go into the community and vote or make decisions blindly, but rather to make informed decisions. I believe these courses have taught me a lot more about the world I live in and how to maneuver through it. Also, my Human Services courses have taught me how to work with others and have successful relationships in non conventional environments. I could not have learned these things without attending college and I am so grateful for the
My confidence has always been a personal struggle, but through the completion of three internships I feel prepared to go out and work in the community. At first I thought doing internships would be boring, but I quickly realized I was able to gain a lot of knowledge through these internships. In the human services field it seems like information is common sense, but when your in the field and interacting with members of the community what we’ve learned in school comes into play. We learn how to approach our clients in a different perspective. Rather than showing up and just expecting tasks to be completed we learned in classes that not everyone is the same and this may seem common knowledge when you work with clients you truly understand what it means. I have learned a lot about working with clients with substance abuse issues, mental health issues, and those struggling to get a job and housing. Sometimes clients require more time and motivation than others. I realized how important it is that we do not give up on our clients and that we work to find the smallest bit of hope in them and pull it out. Everyone has gone through different struggles and being open minded and willing to see situations in a different perspective is one of the best things I’ve learned in the