I have been working as a social worker for three years. Throughout all these years, I have always had a desire and passion to learn enhanced social skills and knowledge to help me empower underprivileged individuals and families to take control of their lives. My desire to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) was therefore inspired by over three years of continuous work with families, children, youth and adults who need support to cope and challenge the structures oppressive and social injustices. So it is my dream to pursue the MSW program which I believe is the only one that can help me achieve my goal. Since my childhood, my parents, teachers and pastors, have often taught me to be attentive to the disadvantaged people in our society and thus contribute to making a positive difference in their lives. Although I hear these positive remarks regularly, I have never felt the impact of an advocacy support role. My involvement in an advocacy role began in 2004, when my high school choir teacher encouraged me to participate in a mission trip to Guyana. Experiencing this mission trip to Guyana changed my life. I had the opportunity to visit and spend time with children in orphanages, as well as package and distribute food items to families in need. The experience and advocacy skills I gained through the Guyana Mission Program motivated me to participate in an Indigenous community outreach project in Winnipeg in November of that year. In light of the above-mentioned personal and professional experience, the University of Victoria's Master of Social Sciences The work program's mission statement, part of which addresses anti-oppressive social work practices, motivated me to apply ...... middle of paper ...... on weekends, I will devote at least 10 hours to class work. Thus, 17.5 hours of time will be devoted to this program on a weekly basis. I believe I can reconcile my studies with my professional work thanks to the flexibility I have at my workplace in scheduling appointments. I plan to schedule more appointments during the day, thus having more time to do my schoolwork in the evening at home. Living with my parents and not having anyone dependent on me will also give me more opportunities to focus on my schoolwork. Additionally, I took an online social work course in the summer of 2009, Community Social Work. I found success in the classroom despite the demands of the program and the other responsibilities I also had. Works Cited http://www.canada.com/health/Tragic+number+aboriginal+children+foster+care+stuns+even+experts /8354098/histoire.html