Back to the Future by Lauren

Back to the Future by Lauren - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

There are so many people in the world, each with a different idea of their future. Some strive to be doctors, while others want to be taxi drivers. Both are respectable jobs. Some want to be writers, or dentists, marine biologists, archeologists, musicians, artists. The list goes on and on. There are those that want to help themselves, and those that want to help others. I am one of the latter.
When I first wanted to become a social worker, I was twelve years old. I was just out of a dispute with my family. I was thinking, “Wow, that really sucked, but there are so many people, my age and not, that have it so much worse than I do. What could I possibly do to help them?” Now at sixteen, that dream is still prevalent in my day to day life.
I currently take Psychology and Sociology as an elective at my high school, as well as Anatomy and Physiology. However difficult they can be, I know that they will help me achieve my dream of becoming a Social Worker. The first deals with mental illnesses and different kinds of people and their personalities, which would be very helpful in the line of work I wish to pursue. The second would help me identify where a person is hurt and what kind of medical treatment they would require. I hope to go to college to further my knowledge about the human brain and our tendencies as people that hurt each other more often than not. I would like to prevent that hurt, and I feel that being a Social Worker would get me there.
In ten years from now, I hope to see myself living in the Northwest, preferably Portland or Seattle, with a degree in Social Work under my belt, and a current job as a Social Worker with a steady income. I have also pondered over the aspect of being an activist.Living where I do, there are many people that do not get a chance at life just because they are different from everyone else. I want to work to change that in as many ways as I can.
My main goal though is to be happy in whatever I do. I just want to come home to a nice little apartment, put on a record, then cook myself, and whoever is with me at the time, a nice meal then sit around a table or on the floor--whatever we can afford-- and talk about our days. I want to enjoy my life and do whatever I can to make sure that others enjoy there’s too.