Termination is the term we use in the social work profession to describe the ending of a relationship. We are taught to begin speaking about the act of termination at the very beginning of a relationship and consistently plan for it throughout. The reasoning for this is so the people whom we serve do not feel shocked by the conclusion of the relationship.
In exactly 7 days from now, my relationship with Kutztown University as a student will be terminated because I will be graduating. Although I have been planning for this from the very beginning of my enrollment here, I am overwhelmed with emotion. Although I feel that my education here has more than prepared me for the “real world”, it is surreal to be leaving the place that has taught me everything.
Looking back at who I was when I started college here I can see how much I have grown, both professionally and personally. I am very proud of all that I have been able to accomplish here and truly amazed at how I have developed along the way.
My professors have always given me the encouragement I needed to take opportunities I would never have imagined pursuing by my own accord. They have continuously seen things in me that I would have never been able to see in myself without their guidance. I have joined clubs, added minors, taken chances, and won awards that I would never have even applied for without the extra push they gave me. For this, I am eternally grateful.
The organizations that I have had the opportunity to be involved in during my time here have given me lifelong friends and developed leadership skills that I never knew I possessed. When I first got involved with her campus, I did not consider myself a writer; I did not even think I had anything to say. However, after I began writing my first couple of articles I realized that I had much to say. Her Campus gave me a platform to integrate all the thoughts and theories we were discussing in my gender studies class and apply them to the world around me. From here I pursued an executive board position and eventually became the president. When the previous president approached me about this I stated something very similar to “I cannot be a president, I am not a leader.” While I still do not think of myself as a leader of am so proud to have played such a large role in this organization and even more proud of how it has been able to have grown on our campus just in this past year.
After graduation, I am entering into the Child Welfare field. Everyone’s first impression after hearing me saying that is something along the lines of “oh wow that’s a tough field”. I, however, could not be more excited to pursue a career in need of skilled individuals with a passion to make a difference. This past year I have interned at Children and Youth and had the opportunity to reflect on my experiences in my classes, which consistently helped me integrate social work practice into my experiences there. I could not be enthralled to continue to do this in my postgraduate career.
In times when I feel that the weight of the world’s problems are a little too much to bare I visit this quote to find peace. So I felt it a crucial way to end my last article for Her Campus.