overcoming to succeed again by Catherine

overcoming to succeed again by Catherine - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

Varsitytutors Essay

Academically challenging situation you’ve encountered, and how you overcame them

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success, so Martin Luther King’s quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, resonates for me working in public service and social advocacy, my commitment, my passion to fight for others in fairness and equity/diversity. I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), as do my children (all successful professionals today), managed by “ultra” organization for academic success. Working as a social worker/court investigator and advocating for abused children (most in foster care) and their families in our judicial, becoming my healthcare passion. Domestic violence/child abuse remains the most pressing societal problem we face today. Healthcare professionals have been an integral part of our American justice system, providing therapeutic expertise (both subjective arts and objective standardized testing) when there is limited physical evidence of assault/abuse providing forensic representation, advocacy. After my husband died suddenly, as a single parent of small children, I worked diligently, full time to pay for my education myself, believing “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela).
As a forensic healthcare clinician, advocating for abuse victims and their families in court, I taught case management and therapeutic/crisis intervention, supervising clinicians forensically, psychology/healthcare in judicial procedures. My clinical success lead to my becoming an expert witness in child physical/sexual abuse and domestic (rare female expert witness). As a healthcare supervisor/administrator, I prepared clinic/hospitals for annual audit. I specifically remember providing therapy with a tiny 8-year-old girl, victim of severe sexual/physical abuse by her father. She was severely beaten for her ADHD symptoms and behaviors, later addressed therapeutically, along with her fears and immature social functioning. Building the child's confidence, gaining emotional stability to enable her to provide specific dates and locations of abusive incidents to investigate, later to testify in court and then to help convict the perpetrator to life in prison. Therapeutic empowerment enabled her to advocate for other abuse victims, to excel in school and foster home.
My successful healthcare career was abruptly ended by my very serious injuries caused in vehicle roll-over crash. Devastating tragedy that completely upended my life/career in excruciating pain and crippling physical/mental limitations, enduring years of therapy to re-configure my life. I could no longer adequately remembered my clients' sessions nor testify in court due to long-term and short-term memory loss. Therefore, not knowing my future abilities, I endured years of healing/recovery over years of therapy and pain. Focusing on regaining my health for a strong comeback, overcoming to combine my healthcare past with civil law. As an optimistic, resilient person and permanently disabled (wheelchair), I’ve learned to live independently, manage business courtesy of our “digital age,” electronics/internet are a boon for disabled, allowing management of business, marketing, international communications/media from my home/wheelchair.
I have learned a great deal from tragedy, “challenging” experiences, overcoming to help others. I have inspired many multicultural abuse victims in positively transforming their lives, their families and yet I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of flowers, cards, children’s drawings that filled my hospital room in appreciation. Reminded of a severely abused Afghani mother and her children that I worked with in a shelter for battered women/children, providing their therapy and advocacy in court, often pro bono, as they moved frequently among various shelters, throughout the underground for their protection from their abusive spouse/father, who had repeatedly tried to kill them (brought to the shelter/underground by police when rescued from their dangling car on a cliff). The mother was brought to America as an indentured servant to her husband and his numerous girlfriends, beaten and disgraced daily (an accomplished writer and teacher in her country). When the abuser targeted his children, the family fled with only the clothing they wore, seeking asylum in America, a better life. I remain on the Board of Directors of several Women/children protective shelters. Domestic violence and abuse victims are from all social classes, nationality, gender, and multicultural, including human trafficking and teen suicide. My passions uniquely combining healthcare and legal advocacy, effectively represent/advocate for multicultural, marginalized, disenfranchised populations, often pro bono.
Therefore, my acceptance to Law School, is a very significant achievement for me after years of therapy/recovery, affirming that I had healed sufficiently to reclaim my life, that I can continue my passion in public service and advocacy. I could only afford one law class, depending on scholarship monies to proceed full-time this Fall. I qualify for both “need” (disabled, public housing, food stamps) and “merit” (GPA 3.5, official transcripts/ US citizenship on file at law school) scholarship funding, “Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. “(Maya Angelou). I can't save the world; however, I can assist one person or
family at a time.