Melissa McKinney

When I was thirteen years old, my two older sisters conducted an intervention on my parents. As it turns out, they had an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. They decided to seek inpatient treatment together and now have over seven years clean and sober. Growing up as a child of two alcoholics and addicts has dramatically changed my life.
I started going to group counseling with my family. We went every week, for two hours, for two years. I was able to learn about the four dysfunctional family roles, such as the hero, the lost child, the scapegoat, and the mascot. I realized that addiction is a disease, and that one in four people struggle with addiction every day. I was able to personally experience the positive effects of getting clean and sober with my family. I learned that everyone is battling their own war, and with perseverance and help, one can overcome anything and everything.
At the age of fifteen, I realized that my purpose in life was to become a social worker. I met a woman on the streets of St. Louis who was homeless and pregnant. I stopped and talked with her for over an hour. After hearing her story and praying with her, I decided that no one should ever be pregnant and homeless.
I want to change someone’s life. Even if I only make an impact on one person, then my career would be a success. I want to instill hope into our lost society. I want to show people that dark days do get brighter, that they are not alone in this world and with hard work and positivity you can conquer anything. I want to make an impact on this culture we’ve established of being content with not striving to be our best selves.
I want to become a social worker because I want to change lives. When my parents went to treatment, we had close to nothing. We struggled every day, but with strength, perseverance and help from others, my family is now stronger than ever imaginable. I want to help other people live through the hard times and come out stronger. Life is not easy, but I want to make it easier for those who see no hope. The freedom and peace one gains from overcoming the hardships of life gives the struggle purpose. That is a feeling every lost soul deserves to experience and I believe I was put on this planet to help them achieve that.