There are so many reasons that I want to be a social worker. All of the reasons have to do with transformation, liberation and authenticity. All the reasons have to do with growth and connection.
This was not a seed planted in my mind as a child. I had never heard the term “social worker” in my youth, neither from my family nor the families I connected with. What did you call a social worker en español, and what did they do for my Spanish-speaking immigrant community?
I arrived at the field of social work through trial and error. I found myself immersed in social work as I struggled to move through my life. There was the social anxiety and depression that began in my youth and manifested in troubling ways academically, personally and professionally. There was the substance use and abuse, the accidents, the conflict and harm, and ultimately, the failed attempt at becoming a teacher. How could I, a queer Latinx, child of immigrants, possibly be a community member that educated and guided others when I felt so lost and unseen in community supports? Where were the teachers and clinicians with lived experiences like mine? Could there be room for me in this field?
I wanted to disrupt this normalized absence of myself in the field of social work, and so I decided to become one.
I wanted to recognize the value of my voice, as a Latinx genderqueer person, a fluid label that has shifted and changed as I grow and transition in this world. I want to recognize our capacities to unlearn, transform and come closer to our dreams and visions for just futures.
Quiero hablar en español con mis clientes, los quiero honrar y apoyar en sus comunidades de una forma que les haga sentir alegría y paz. Quiero que mis clientes sientan orgullo de sí mismo y quienes son.
(I want to speak in Spanish with my clients, I want to honor and support them in their communities in a way that makes them feel joy and peace. I want my clients to feel proud of themselves and who they are.)
As a social worker, I want to disrupt systems of oppression that silence black and brown voices, queer voices, disabled voices, the voices of our elders and our children. I see the role of a social worker as an individual positioned to advocate, empower, facilitate, connect and guide. I want to watch my clients and communities have moments of clarity and transformation that occur through authenticity, awareness and open communication.
I may not have had this present in my life as a child, teenager or young adult, but I recognize the value of seeing others and being seen. As a social worker, I want to foster growth and transformation in communities so that every voice, from the smallest or youngest to the wisest or oldest, has a chance to be heard and be free.
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