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MA Education, Community Counseling

Before we can discuss why I am pursuing a Community Counseling degree, we need to discuss where I have come from. I thought I was in love, that he was the one. I was 19 and, looking back, a child bride. For three years I knew something was horribly wrong. I tried to fix it, and yet we had two children. My husband's alcoholism and abuse were too much to bear. Hitting bottom was not enough. I'd hit bottom before, and there are no answers there. The only hope for our survival my children and I - was divorce. For years I struggled financially, emotionally and physically, managing my time between full-time work and education in an attempt to better our standard of living and be a role-model a good Mommy to my children.

It was while I was working at Kent State, a place I have worked and been educated in over eight wonderful years. Supervising student workers, I felt drawn to them, asking how they were coping with school, being away from home, and how classes were going. And while working through my BA, it was these same people, and staff that encouraged me, were my support system. I even met my future husband, a man who has done so much to heal my oldest wounds, and loves my children as his own. It is my express desire to work in a capacity that will allow me to be a sounding board, a soft place to fall, for students that are having trouble with life's pressures, and the demands they feel they are under.

While I have enjoyed and excelled in my work as a Paralegal and Administrative Assistant in academic settings, for many years now I have felt unfulfilled, and that I had much more to offer. I have seen time and again, clients that are facing legal issues solely because of unaddressed psychological and emotional difficulties. Through my own experiences of survival and recovery, I feel I have much to impart. While I was handling every aspect of administration, in a number of capacities, my heart had always wanted to be on the other side of the equation, working with the client through their most trying times, and not just facilitating an efficient office. Albeit, working in various professional positions, I have had the chance to work in a multidisciplinary team environment; experiences that I know will aid me in my future in Community Counseling.

XXX State has been my sole selection for educational development for many years. The environment XXX State creates for learning is unparalleled, the professors elite, and the quality of the education unquestionable. I have had the unique opportunity to be a student and employee of the university, aiding it as it aids me. It is my hope to continue this relationship until its inevitable terminus when I proudly graduate, walking away, serving others in my community as I have been served. For me, my family, and my community: this is my goal.

When I see a student in a hole they can't get out of, I will get in the hole with them. I'll be able to tell them not to worry, I've been here before, and I know the way out. Hunkered down, 21 years old and frightened of the man I thought I loved, the father of my children, I felt helpless. I will never be helpless to help again. Never.

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