My name is Deana Andrade and I live in a Taunton, Massachusetts. I am a social work major at Bridgewater State University and am scheduled to graduate in May 2012. I plan on continuing onto Grad School to specialize in Oncology Social Work. This has been a dream of mine since high school and now I am able to work towards fulfilling it--a few decades later. I chose social work because the Oncology field is in strong need of social workers to empower and guide the millions of families affected deeply by the diagnosis of cancer each year. If I had one magical power it would be to cure diseases, such as cancer, as too many people are endlessly suffering from crippling diseases, especially now that the human life trajectory is longer and continues to climb.
The most intriguing aspect of working as a social worker within communities and organizations is achieving successful outcomes as the result of coming together as a society and creating a culture to promote positive CHANGE. Therefore, during this semester, I hope to enhance my current social work skills to a higher degree which will enable me to work productively within communities and organizations. The enhanced skills will further enable me to help promote social justice and awareness of today's pressing issues. Additionally, I hope to learn key aspects needed to strengthen communities' grassroots efforts, advocacy groups, and self-help groups along with different models to impose change. Furthermore, I think that full class participation and feeding off of other students' input and feedback creates a great class atmosphere. Interactive projects also generate more interest in the subject at hand and enable's one to conceptualize the subject of discussion through different perspectives using various hands on tools.
Four interesting things about me are that I spent five weeks out of the country in 2011. Three weeks were spent in China doing research to study the"Predictors of Chinese College Students Attitude Towards Aging Population" through an ATP/Undergrad Research Grant with Dr. Jing Tan and three other BSU social work students. You can click HERE to access our trip blog and some photos. The third and fourth week I spent in Santa Maria, Azores visiting my husband's families' island. Lastly, I also have a down-to-earth personality, sense of humor, and the ability to know what my husband is going to say before he actually says it (true talent). For fun, I enjoy spending time with my kids and husband, as well as, my friends. I enjoy reading and playing sports. When I am lucky enough to be able to, I also enjoy traveling and visiting different places and experience the various cultures worldwide.
If I could solve one major social problem it would be inequality. I feel all humans should have equal rights in all aspects of their life regardless of their gender identity, race, religion, sexual preference, culture, social class, etc. An important and meaningful quote that the Ambassador of Bahrain spoke in a seminar at BSU in 2010 should be remembered by all. Her words that have stuck by me throughout my BSU career and that I will continue to utilize during my social work career and probably the rest of my life are "We Are All People First".
Deana, I really enjoyed reading this blog post of yours! First, I found it very interesting that you want to be a social worker in oncology, I had never even thought of something like that until I read this. My nana passed away in 2003 from cancer and so I know first hand how hard it is for the family of a person suffering from this and I feel that it would have been very helpful to have someone to talk to like that.
ReplyDeleteI am portuguese and my grandfather was from the Azores and so I am a little jealous that you got to travel there! I have been in a few classes with you and have always admired how you can juggle having a husband, children, and internship, and all the classes we take in order to attain our degree. You can tell that you are a hard worker and you should be proud of yourself. Good luck with your last semester as an undergrad and i look forward to graduating with you in May!