Gabriel Fernandez is a 7 year old boy who suffered from neglect and torture. His mom and her boyfriend kept him in a box where he had to sleep, use the bathroom, and fed him cat litter. They would make him wear dresses and then beat him for “being gay”  There are so many sad stories of kids that have had to deal with so many negative circumstances.  I also know that there ways to help these kids with situations. I want to become a social worker because I am good with kids, I like to help people, and take great interest in the Gabriel Fernandez trials. Even though becoming a social worker might be a job that is a bit of a roller coaster as I know it will get emotional from time to time, I want to be able to do everything from my part to make sure there is help for the Gabriel Fernandez situations in this world. 

I know I’d be good as a social worker because I am good with kids. Growing up I was always in charge of babysitting my siblings and cousins. My aunts and uncles would come to me and ask me to watch over them if they had to work Sometimes, they had no one else to take care of them. I would always make sure that they were fed and if they had homework to do, I would make sure it would get done. My siblings and my cousins would prefer me to watch over than any other babysitter; they always felt loved and well-cared for when I was in charge.  I have always been the type of person to put others before myself. I’ve always made sure that they were having a good day, and if they weren’t, I would try and cheer them up. Even if I was having a bad day myself- I would put them first.

I know I’d make a good Social worker because I have had experience caring for kids, but also, I like to help people. When I was in the 6th grade I was always helping my teacher around the classroom. I would skip lunch and I would help her grade homework or tests. That year we got a new student and she only spoke Spanish, so 6th through 8th grade I would translate for her since the teacher didn’t speak Spanish and no one else volunteered to help her. I would help her pronounce words she thought she couldn’t say.  I was also there for her when other students would make fun of her for not understanding the language. I’m the type of person who thinks you shouldn’t be less just because you don’t understand the language. I come from a family where my dad only speaks Spanish and I see how frustrated he gets when he doesn’t understand something or can’t pronounce a word correctly. When I was in 5th grade I got bullied and no one was there for me so I wanted her to make sure that she had someone by her side and didn’t have to go through the feelings and emotions that I did. To this day she thanks me for being the one to teach her the language.  I am happy to know that I was part of the reason that she speaks perfect English and understands it well now. 

Most importantly, I am drawn to becoming a social worker because it’s cases like Gabriel Fernandez that show there are people in this world who shouldn’t have kids. He was just a seven year-old-boy who wanted to feel loved by his mother and instead he got beat to death because his parents accused him of being gay. He was shot multiple times with a BB gun, his teeth were knocked out by getting hit with a baseball bat and he had cuts and bruises all over his body.  It was even found that there was even cat litter in his system. On May 22, 2013 his mother Pearl Fernandez called 9-1-1 to report that Gabriel was not breathing; he had been fatally beaten by his mother and her boyfriend after he “failed” to clean up all his toys. When first responders arrived to his house they found him on the floor naked with several injuries. This child had multiple signs of the abuse yet no one removed him from the household. Even though she and her boyfriend put Gabriel through a living hell, he still forgave her for everything she did to him. I want to be able to help those children in the aftermath of everything they endured. I want to be able to make a difference in the world even if it’s only through children because I truly believe every single person matters and they should be given an equal and fair chance to live their life with as many chances and opportunities as possible. Seeing that documentary and how that boy suffered because there weren’t enough “signs” of the abuse and neglect it made me really open my eyes and realize that he’s not the only child this happens too. It really opened my eyes to the career that I am yearning for- A Social Worker.

I know I’d be a good social worker because I’ve always been good at taking care of other people’s needs. My experiences from 6th grade have helped me realize that I am good at working with other people. The Gabriel Fernandez trials really made me open my eyes and realize that being a social worker is what I want to do so I can be able to help others. I want to become a social worker because I am good with kids,I like to help people, and take great interest in the Gabriel Fernandez trials. I know I’d be a good social worker because I want to be able to make a difference in children’s life and be able to do whatever I can from my part to help.