Formative Academic Experiences
My Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and my Bachelor of Social Work with Distinction from the University of Victoria provided me with an educational foundation that I was eager to build upon as well as formative academic experiences that informed my journey and who I am as a social worker.
Sparking Interest in Social Work During my Sociology studies, one of my professors encouraged us to pursue volunteer work in the low-income Downtown Eastside as an optional part of our coursework. I began volunteering weekly at a community soup kitchen with Quest Outreach and slowly began contemplating pursuing social work. From this experience combined with my studies in areas such as social inequality, Canadian society, and ethnic relations, I decided to complete the pre-requisite courses for the BSW program though I was not confident that this was the path I wanted to take just yet. I was also inspired to later on pursue further volunteer work in the Downtown Eastside prior to entering the BSW program. Reflection I had entered into the BSW program knowing only that I would like to pursue a career working internationally but I had no clear notion of what particular fields of social work I was interested in. At the beginning of the program, I had an incredibly difficult time with class exercises and assignments in self-locating and being self-reflective. But I eventually came to appreciate how valuable practicing reflection is in in my social work practice. It was only really during my BSW that I came to recognize my self-location as a heterosexual, middle-class, able-bodied, visible minority, second-generation Canadian female. I also came to recognize my own experiences of privilege and oppression and how these experiences shape who I am. Through reflection, I also realized that I wanted to work with refugees and immigrants. Self-Care When my mom passed away during the BSW program, I felt as though life with such immense heartache was not worth living. I attribute a lot of my ongoing coping and healing to having had such a strong emphasis placed on the significance of self-care during my BSW studies. It was during this time that I realized that I truly could not care for others if I did not ensure that I cared for myself as well and this remains one of the most significant lessons I have ever learned. BSW Practicum Placements While I loved studying Sociology, I always felt that I exited my BA program without many concrete and applicable skills or any real direction in terms of career. And so I really appreciated having the valuable and enriching experiences of field placements during my BSW. I completed my first social work practicum with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society in Victoria, BC after realizing my interest in the area of working with refugees and immigrants. This placement then led me to pursue working with refugees internationally with my second BSW practicum at the Cape Town Refugee Centre in South Africa. These placements gave me the opportunities to explore my interests, connect theory to practice, and actually utilize the knowledge and skills I learned about through coursework. |