Hospital Children
Every morning before I went to school, I would watch Saint Jude's Hospital special, and every morning, I would literally cry. There are thousands of needy children in the world, and this situation bothers me because right now there is little that I can do about it. I did, however, tell my parents about these children at St. Jude's Hospital and asked them to contribute what they could. Since then, they make monthly donations to the hospital.
For a long time I thought of myself as being a poor, deprived child, but after becoming aware of all the unfortunate children in the world, I realized that I am really lucky to be who I am and where I am.
This past summer, I had an internship at the USC School of Social Work. I met with some of the professors and they introduced me to the field. I never knew that social work was so interesting and that it had different concentrations. Ms. Margarita Artavia, a clinical associate professor at USC, informed me on how I can pursue a career in which my compassion for children can pay off.
I know that right now, as I am typing this essay, there is a child laying on a hospital bed with tears in their eyes because they know that their life is at risk. I am proud that this event altered my perception of life. I now want to learn how to relate to that child and how to make them forget about their sickness. I want to know how to keep that child optimistic. I want them to feel strong. I feel fortunate for having been able to be an intern at the USC School of Social Work because now I know exactly what I want to do with my life. I have always wanted to work with sick children, but I did not know how. I thought that I would just have to figure out what I wanted to do until my second year of college, but after this summer everything changed. I want to get a B.A. in sociology, a M.S.W. with a concentration in mental health and then become a clinical therapist. My dream job is to work at a hospital helping children. I would do almost anything to put a smile on a child's face.
