Letter of Intent for MFT program

Heidi Barbara Lietz

                                          STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

          I struggled to keep tears from streaming down my face as I watched my Grandmother fight for every breath.  Her frail hands clung to Noel, my childhood doll, as she listened to the doctor’s diagnosis.  “Patients in your stage of emphysema have approximately six months to live.  There is nothing more I can do for you, and from talking to you I know you are anxious to get home.”  It made me angry how easy the words came out of his mouth.  I wanted the doctor to show empathy, but instead he hurried to the next patient and directed us to the hospice nurse.

Understanding of Social Work and reasons for wanting to be a social worker

      The following day, I hurried to answer a gentle knock at the hospital room’s door. Clara, a social worker sent from Hospice, came to help my grandmother.  She was different from the doctors;  her eyes expressed love and her soft spoken words brought comfort to my family.  That morning I not only opened the door for a saint, but also opened to door to a profession I wanted to pursue and a woman whose footsteps I wished to follow.  I learned the difference it makes to focus on the good things in others lives, and to help them gain the self-confidence, love and desire to keep living.  Love can do so much for someone, and the thing that is wonderful is that love is found at the center of social work.  I desire to learn how to help others change from realizing the potential they have in their lives and desire they have to find the greatness of life and blessings they have. 

Limitations and Talents

         I returned to college at the end of the summer, eager to gain knowledge about the social sciences.  I pursued my education in Marriage, Family and Human Development, so that someday, like Clara, I would be able to help others through stressful times.  Studying Vygotsky’s Socialcultural Theory, Piaget’s stages of development, and numerous other research theories continued to intrigue my interest and increase my knowledge in human development.  I learned that the family is crucial to humanity and what can be done to help others strengthen their own families and communities.

       Although numerous research and statistic classes helped prepare me to add to the ongoing research in social sciences, my true love and knowledge has been gained in helping others.  While attending BYU, the research I did was informative and helpful, however, did not fill me with the same satisfaction and enjoyment that I found through volunteering and leadership roles I undertook.  I am a very dedicated person and have seen the results of dedication and hard work in school, athletics and leadership positions.  I have learned that love, friendship, service and selflessness is the greatest tool to help and influence others.  This love and empathy is a great attribute as well as a limitation for this field.  I put my whole heart into helping others, which allows me to feel the greatest joy and happiness as well as the pain and sadness.  However, it is worth it to put your heart into serving others to allow them to realize how much you love them and want them to achieve.

          Unfortunately, due to the decision to serve a mission, I was unable to complete the prerequisites for this program.  However, I will be able to complete my degree and prerequisites necessary during the Spring and Summer session prior to starting the program in Fall, 2004.  I understand they are important and know that I can complete them prior to the start of the program to be prepared.

Paid and Voluntary Experience  

          During high school I volunteered for Guide Dogs for the Blind as a puppy raiser.  I took my dog everywhere and learned how to discipline, socialize and raise a three month old puppy into a well trained two year old guide dog.  In the process you gain a best friend,  as well as learn dedication as a pupply raiser.  The tears of pain of saying goodbye when your job is done, are shortly replaced with tears of joy as you watch their new blind companion work for the first time without a cane and start a life full of new hope and companionship. 

          During college I continued to volunteer as a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.  We learned to compromise and meet common goals.  Sitting around a table, the committee discussed and implemented ways for BYU athletes to have a greater impact on the community.  “Buff Don’t Puff”, an anti-smoking program, was one teaching method used to inform fourth grade students about the adverse affects of smoking.  Nothing compares to seeing kids eagerly line up to sign a poster declaring they will not smoke.  Influencing children to make righteous decisions is one of the greatest services and something I want to continue for the rest of my life.

          In addition to volunteer work at BYU, I competed on a NCAA Division I level Swim Team.  My days consisted of swimming from 6 to 8AM, attending classes and heading back to the pool for two hours of training each night plus traveling on weekends for competition.  Discipline, dedication and hard work paid for my education with an athletic scholarship and also allowed me to achieve several goals and honors.  I was awarded Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Week several times, Academic All-American honors, BYU Athlete Scholar, Lowe’s Athlete Community Service Award, as well as BYU Most Valuable Player.  As a junior I was selected to be team captain, where I learned skills necessary to motivate, uplift and encourage my teammates to achieve goals in and outside of the pool.

          After winning the 50 yard freestyle individual event at the Mountain West Conference Championships and breaking the school record, I was filled with satisfaction for achieving my goal.  However, I realized that it was time for me to take a break from the team I loved and the education that fascinated me to receive an education in the real work and to pursue my real love, which is found in helping and serving others.  I took a year and a half off from swimming and school to serve a full

time mission for my church.  I was called to the Spain Barcelona mission, where I learned more about life, culture, struggles, pain, family, dedication, hard work, sacrifice and love that has forever changed my life. My best friends and examples became people who were often separated from their family.  They were people who were living in poverty and were often deceived that Spain offered a better life and opportunities than their native country.  

          A year and a half full of love and service, feeling others pain, sharing their joys, and doing everything possible to support, embrace and lift my brothers and sisters exposed me to more than I every expected.  In Spain I learned the reality, heartache and affects of abuse, broken families, loneliness, death and suicide, as well as the joys of births, the Lord, education, the strength of families and the power of change and repentance.  On my mission I had the opportunity to train new missionaries entering the mission field, which gave me the opportunity to learn from their new ideas and desire to work, as well as help guide them to make the transition to a new lifestyle.  More than

anything this experience allowed me to learn who I am, who I want to be, and how I can make that happen.

Family Perspective

          Surrounded by different family situations on my mission allowed me to better understand and appreciate the constant love, support and guidance of my family.  I was taught right from wrong, learned to work hard to reach goals, and strive to follow their examples.  As a teenager I made my own decisions and I learned from my own mistakes.  My parents high expectations gave me the desire to be the best, and their love and friendship taught me how to treat others.  At the age of 17, many looked at me as the teenager that had everything.  I was a nationally recognized swimmer athlete, good

student, surrounded by wonderful friends and a member of a family who everyone loved.  However, something was lacking in my life.  I was happy, but not completely fulfilled.  I began to question the purpose of life and why we are here.  My questions lead me to God and a church that changed my life, habits and dreams.

          For the first time in my life, my family and friends opposed a path I chose to follow.  I felt alone for a year, waiting for my eighteenth birthday to join a church that brought happiness to my life.  At the time I was upset and confused for the opposition, however, looking back on the experience, I realize opposition helps an individual grow and develop.  My family’s lack of knowledge about the church, and their concern for me created this opposition.  This experience taught me to step into others shoes, feel what they are feeling, and try to understand from seeing things through their eyes, heart

and experiences.  I am blessed for a family who has taught me empathy, love and that helping others brings an individual happiness. 

Reasons for Pursuing a Master’s Degree        

          During the last few months of my grandmother’s life, the Social Worker Clara showed me the joy in expressing love to others.  I learned conversations can cure loneliness, tears can diminish pain and love is something that everyone needs and deserves.  My volunteer experiences, especially my mission deepened this conviction and desire to help others.  In graduate school, I want to continue to gain skills necessary to help improve the quality of others lives.  Brigham Young University’s Masters of Social Work Program offers a curriculum that matches my professional pursuits.  I have learned through my educational and life experiences that there is no greater joy and happiness that what can be found in helping guide someone to understand how to improve their own life.  I plan to gain an increase in knowledge to make a difference in others lives.