Cheryl Ford

Counseling is an interesting and ever-changing field in our world today. An especially intriguing aspect of this profession is the wide spectrum of populations to work with and the many opportunities available. My personal interest in the counseling profession is rooted in my genuine concern for others’ well-being. My two years of graduate study thus far have been extremely interesting and challenging. Through my foundation classes in counseling; I have gained an understanding of how the role and influence of the counselor is in providing services to diverse cultural, ethnic, religious and social populations and gained knowledge of effective and appropriate assessment and evaluation of clients as well as knowledge of legal, ethical, and moral responsibilities related to the practice of professional counseling, and gained awareness of my personal biases, and prejudices as they relate to counseling.
Throughout matriculating in this program I have taken a rigorous curriculum and continued to maintain a successful G.P.A . and because of my continued effort to academic excellence I have been inducted into Chi Sigma Iota, the International Honor Society for Counseling. I find true pleasure in working with women in crisis regain their self-esteem and dignity. During my graduate years, I have acquired real-life work experience by being employed at Houston Area Women’s Center as a Crisis Women’s Advocate. My main responsibilities are to answer crisis line calls, assist domestic violence victims with safety planning, and provide domestic violence education to victims in the community.
Complementing this experience, I volunteer as an Abuse Prevention Educator through my university’s community awareness program. My main responsibility is to educate the community on the impact of abuse. I believe I deserve this scholarship because I have the potential and will to succeed and make a valuable asset to the field of counseling. My future professional aspirations are to become a Licensed Professional Counselor and my ultimate goal is have my own practice where I will specialize in trauma and family counseling. Helping women to realize their full potential gives me a strong sense of accomplishment.