03/25/2023
Taylor Sowell
The University of Akron
Graduate Admissions Essay
When I began my clinical career, I never thought I would face, nor overcome, as many challenges
as I have. Before me lies yet another one: Putting my passion for my practice into words. I wanted to be a
social worker because the nature of the profession aligns closely with my personal beliefs and conduct. I
am someone who has never wavered in my fervor regarding the importance of the quality of human lives.
I initially began my educational journey in this field intent on increasing my awareness of how mental
health is cultivated and sustained from a collective perspective. I soon realized, ironically, that it was
actually direct practice that offered me insight on how our society regards, cultivates, and individually
experiences it’s mental health.
Micro-practice is an effective, essential, and rewarding approach in and of itself. My personal
beliefs include the perspective that it is an inherent component of increasing the quality of our shared
experience on earth; Providing direct services to my clients also satisfies my overall goal of engaging as
many individuals as possible in conversations about change. By cultivating safe spaces where people can
explore the idea of change, allowing them to integrate new options into their mental narratives, I am
assisting them in normalizing their belief in their own self-efficacy. By cultivating that very skill within
myself, I am increasing my ability to do more and reach more. Primarily for this reason alone, I’d like the
opportunity to earn a Master’s degree from Akron University.
By furthering my educational and personal goals, I compound my efficiency and reasons for
doing what I do every day. By increasing my scope of practice, and the types of issues I am qualified to
address, I increase the numbers of individuals I can serve. I am eternally grateful to live in a place and
time where I am privileged enough to get paid to do my dream job. If paying tuition is all it costs to
increase the knowledge and level of refinement of my current skills, I am happy to do so. Undoubtedly,
investing the next year of my life as a student in the Advanced Standing Program would be one of the
most compelling and impactful decisions of my life. Having an opportunity to use my resources and
socioeconomic status to give back to those with less than me is one I do not intend to waste.
Although I’ve never been incarcerated, I was (at one time) each and every one of my clients. I
was the angry and confused teenager. I was the self-conscious woman with repressed trauma. I was the
people pleaser with poor boundaries. I was the child of a parent in active addiction. I was the individual
feeling alone after the death of a loved one. I was the person with low self-esteem who’d been coping in
maladaptive ways. I was the young adult in an unhealthy relationship, and so many more. Ultimately, I
faced those facets of myself, which has allowed me to better empathize with their experiences and
mindsets through my own personal growth. This is the same challenge I encourage each of my clients to
face.
The population I work with now was largely created from unchecked negative habits and actions
that were allowed to flourish and develop. The children of those generations who lived in ‘survival mode’
have grown into men and women who were given the reigns with minimal knowledge. Surviving is all
they know. It is their baseline and they have evolved not to expect much from themselves or from life.
They do what they know works, but venture not outside of that realm of understanding, lest they be slain
or forgotten. And so, I meet client after client who does not believe in their inherent worth, nor do they
see value in self-cultivation. “Everyone in my family goes to jail. My entire family are addicts. All my
friends are dead. I haven’t seen my kids in 6 years.” This is their normal.
This is what they expect of themselves and others. They need consistency, exposure, and
education. I can’t work with a client and encourage them to use positive affirmations when a. they’ve
never heard of them, and b. their culture devalues them. I can’t expect a client to make healthy decisions
when their home environment yields no healthy eating or living options. I can’t help a client unpack their
trauma and survival mentality when they could be killed or ostracized for not utilizing said factors as a
skill. They do not understand that is not the only chapter in their story. That is not what life has to be.
That is not creating a safe space and getting what you want out of life. They have normalized the worst
parts of our society because that’s where they came from. They often don’t realize that their individuality
is the key to their growth.
Diversity is defined as: “The practice (or quality of) involving people from a range of different
social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.” Alternatively, I’d argue
that this definition also mirrors the foundation for what we call person-centered-practice. Inherently,
humans display a myriad of natural dispositions on an individual basis. The principle of diversity is one
that unifies and separates us simultaneously. In the past, our society had notoriously focused on the
differences, attempting to keep everyone in their neat little categories. I feel this has been
counterproductive, although it was also the reason the field of social work was able to grow and advance
from our mistakes.
That being said: as this world changes, we are slowly realizing that viewing empathy and
diversity as a strength is a healthier perspective. Fostering a sense of community and common ground is
the best way to build trust and delegate the responsibilities of this world evenly among us. Unity allows
us the opportunity to face our challenges collectively. It demands a sense of pride and responsibility as we
realize the weight of our individual strengths. It also helps us appreciate and the necessity of living,
learning, and loving for one another. Over the years, I have been grateful for the opportunity to work with
and for the people in my field. Now, the opportunity for me to serve them in a higher capacity has also
come.
It's worth noting that, even as a current Mental Health and Substance Abuse Clinician, it wasn’t
until someone gave to me what I try to share with my clients that I was able to conceive, initiate, and
sustain change. I might still be in those situations if I hadn’t trusted someone outside of myself for help.
Further, if those people hadn’t expressed the value they saw in me, it would not have illuminated the
strengths I now cultivate within myself. I will reiterate that consistency, exposure, and education are
paramount. Thus, an open mind is key in staying vigilant against stagnation and maladaptation.
Personally speaking, it has been efficient for me to remain flexible, engaging, and openminded
with any situation. Staying adaptable, or formless, is exactly what Bruce Lee was referencing when he
encouraged us to ‘be like water, my friend.’ It was also this idea that inspired me to voice my experiences
and pen this submission. Through cultivation of self, I am better able to reach others. By furthering my
clinical development, I can increase the quality of life for the people I share this Earth with. As my
consistency increases, so does my competency. Sharing this mindset with others is a part of my purpose
and is reciprocally rewarding. Therefore, earning my MSW is a professional and personal necessity.
Accepting me into this program would allow me to be the first one in my immediate family to
earn a master’s degree. It would actualize the dreams of a middle schooler who once imagined herself in
the very position I am in. Ultimately, it would afford me the privilege of offering my story as genuine
evidence of the power of belief. For most, change begins with adopting a different perspective. If you
believe something is true, you are likely to walk, talk, and act like it is. You must make a conscious effort
towards incorporating that belief into your reality. This allows an individual to align themselves with new
goals, and literally create possibilities that they once merely conceived.
I am attempting to do this on a personal and professional level. I believe in the in the power of
self-efficacy. I believe that I am a competent counselor and individual. I believe in the importance of us
all experiencing a healthier society. I believe that I can expand my goals and possibilities. I believe that I
can assist others in creating and sustaining change. I believe that growth can be achieved. I honestly
believe that I have more to learn. Simultaneously, I believe that I can do more. I believe that I can be
better. I believe in raising the bar when and where it is possible. I also fully intend to accept these
challenges if it yields a higher quality in my professional and personal efforts.
By graduating from a program tailored towards developing my clinical skills, I can better align
myself with board standards, best practices, and quality improvement. The provision of quality health
services to people’s loved ones is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. So, if you believe that my clinical
practices could yield positive development in individuals seeking help, I implore you to assist me in
actualizing that perspective. I am not just asking for help furthering my clinical development. I am
requesting a chance to foster a healthier society by being accepted as a student for your 2023 Masters of
Social Work Advanced Standing Program.