Gene Denton 7

Within my community, there seems to be a great need for public service workers, especially social workers, and interpreters. I have noticed that throughout my childhood. Whenever my parents had conferences with my teachers in elementary school, there were rarely any interpreters and I had to do it. That is what sparked my interest in becoming a translator. I also remember that not until the second grade did we have a social worker or counselor at the elementary school that I attended at the time. When the social worker had gotten there at first, it seemed like they and I became best friends. If we ever saw each other in the hall, I would always run up to them and hug them and say hi. They also helped spark my interest in becoming a social worker and helping make a change in the community. I think they were also the ones to bring up the idea at the PTA meeting of creating a community garden there at my elementary school. They also taught me about emotions, empathy, and being able to see people’s points of view from different perspectives. Or “being in their shoes.”  That is what I aspire to do in my future career. After high school, I will hopefully go to Johnson County Community College and complete the medical interpretation program that can be found there. Ever since I was young, I’ve always helped people who needed help translating from English to Spanish and vice versa. My mom has also told me that I would be a great interpreter as I have a kind heart and I find satisfaction in being able to help translate for people. Whenever we would go for my yearly check-ups, I would always notice the interpreter in the room with us and I would ask them questions like, “Do you like being an interpreter?” and “How did you become an interpreter?” I have always been curious as to how they got to that career path. Hopefully, after I get a certificate in medical interpretation, I plan on going to the University of Kansas and majoring in social work. So far, I have taken one social work class. That class helped open up my eyes more and made me start to notice that communities need more people or social workers who will raise their voices for them and make sure that the community will be heard. There are also different types of social workers. As I mentioned before, I want to become a medical interpreter. With that certificate, I also want to become a social worker, specifically, a medical social worker. Medical social workers are those who assist families with news about a loved one who may be in the hospital or clinic. With some family members, they may not be able to understand English and if I become a social worker with a medical interpretation degree, I will be able to help them understand what may be going on with their loved one. I want to become that and help change the way some hospitals may run. I aspire to be the one who will make my community have a better future. My future education will help impact my community as it is a small community that is here in Kansas City, Kansas. Being a social worker and interpreter will also help me hear from multiple sides of the story and I can help both Spanish and English speakers. If I am given the honor of being awarded this scholarship, it would be greatly beneficial as the careers I want will go towards public service.