Autobiography and professional goals - Personal Statement Example

My is Getty Noorzai and I wish to become a college level counselor. The reason why I plan to pursue a professional career in this area is because I feel that I have something to offer society. I have come from a unique and challenging background, which will help me to be able to identify with them. Education played a key role in helped me to improve my life, and I wish to assist others in achieving their educational goals so they can find the same fulfillment that I have found. To give some context to my passion for helping others discover success in life, I will show some of my character traits that are derived from my upbringing.

I did not have a lot when I was growing up. I was born into an Afghani low-income family that struggled to provide for me. Life was a challenge every day. When I was six years old, my family moved to the neighboring country of Pakistan due to the war that had broken out in my own country. Because we left in a hurry, we did not have any possessions when we reached Pakistan. As a result, my parents could barely provide enough food to feed me and my four brothers. After a couple of years of life in Pakistan, tragedy struck.

One of my younger brothers died due to severe food poisoning. The seriousness of our situation at that time led me parents to marry me off when I was 13 to someone who was twice my age. Although this may sound like a strange event, at that time in Pakistan this was a common occurrence because there were many cases of young girls being kidnapping. My parents did not want this fate to befall me, so they made a tough decision. This is added to the fact that my parents could not adequately provide for me, so marrying me off would actually benefit them in the long run.

A couple of years after I got married I moved to the United States along with my husband. I saw this as an opportunity for my life to change for the better. However, my life became much worse due to the physical and emotional abuse that I suffered at the hands of my husband. During those first few months, I felt like a prisoner; I was not allowed to attend school or even go outside and talk to someone. I had my first child not long after this, but I still felt like a child myself. A few years later I had my second daughter while I was still only a teenager.

As a result of this, I had to mature very quickly, and this maturity would help me later on in my life during difficult times. At the age of 20, I could not handle the abuse metered out by my husband, so I filed for divorce. I had a dream to go to school and make something of myself, and this would not be possible with my husband around. The divorce was long and painful, but finally I was free of his abuse. Once I was officially divorced from him, I felt free to pursue my own endeavors. Because of my poor language skills, I enrolled at Ohlone College and completed some English classes.

After I had my AA degree, I transferred to San Jose State University (I have only recently graduated from SJSU with a bachelors degree in Justice Studies). My lifelong dream is to become a school or college counselor because I would be in a position to help many people. Taking a Masters in Counselor Education would help me to achieve this goal. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have picked up many valuable experiences along the way. Not only was I involved with volunteer work, but I completed an internship at the Santa Clara family court, where I helped people who were unable to afford lawyers.

I also assisted them with filling out forms and briefing them on their situations. I feel that I can relate to many people who are looking to integrate themselves to society because I have been in their shoes before. I have an advantage of understanding what it feels like to suffer pain and be abused. I wish to impart my knowledge on those who really need it. Although I do not have much experience in the area of counseling, I believe that I can use my own experiences to identify with and assist those who I come across in times of need.

I will be open and willing to learn from people who are more experienced than I, and this will enable me to grow and gain useful first-hand experience.