During my junior year of high school, when my biggest worry was my ACT score and I started touring colleges, I was already pretty set on what I wanted my major and career to be. Somewhere along the way, I realized that social work was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I'm majoring in Social Work and minoring in Child Advocacy Studies, and I plan to get my master's degree after my four years at WSU. And to this day, I still have no doubts that this is the path I'm meant to take.

There's no denying that social workers are largely under-appreciated and not fully understood. As a freshman this year, I've already heard countless comments from people about social work when they learn that it's my major. They're usually along the lines of, "Well, someone needs to do it" or "Really? Why not something else?". Many times people joke about the fact that I won't make a large salary, as if I don't already know that. Most of these comments come from adults, and although they can be insulting, they will never stop me from pursuing the career that I love.

I'm not majoring in social work for the money. No one chooses social work as a career with the hopes of making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. I chose social work because I believe that there is no other job that will give me as much fulfillment and happiness in my life. If I really was in it just for the money, I could major in nursing, engineering or math. But math and science are not my strong suits, and I wouldn't enjoy taking those classes in college or waking up every day for a career like that. Honestly, I would probably be very unhappy in any other career.

I chose social work because it will allow me to use my compassion and empathy for others to positively influence the lives of so many people and to inspire them to not give up. It will give me the amazing opportunity to be the voice for those who aren't heard, to give hope to the hopeless, and to significantly help children and families in need. Social work will let me change people's lives for the better, and that means much more to me than making a lot of money.

It's inevitable that some people will look down on me for wanting to be a social worker, because in all reality, money equals power and respect in our society. Yes, I want to be a social worker and advocator for children. Yes, I won't make as much as some other jobs. But I will work tirelessly to succeed as much as possible in my career. And choosing social work doesn't mean I'm not smart enough for other careers. I simply just want to wake up each and every day with a purpose, doing something I truly love and enjoy. That's more important to me than money will ever be.