I have been working as a social worker for the past three years. Throughout these years, it has always been my desire and passion to acquire advanced social skills and knowledge to help me empower disadvantaged individuals and families to take control of their lives. My desire therefore to obtain a Master of Social Work (MSW) was inspired by over three years of continuous work with families, children, young people and adults who need support to address and combat oppressive structures and social injustices. It has therefore been my dream to pursue MSW program which I believe is the only program that can help me achieve my goal. Since childhood, my parents, teachers and pastors, have often taught me to respect the disadvantaged people in our society and thus contribute to making a positive difference in their lives. Despite constantly hearing these positive remarks, I have never experienced the impact of being in a support role. Participation in an advocacy role began in 2004, when I was encouraged by my high school choir teacher to participate in a missions 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 groceries to families in need. The experience and advocacy skills I gained from the Guyana missionary program motivated me to participate in a community outreach project for Aboriginal people in Winnipeg in November of that year. In light of the above personal and professional experience, the University of Victoria's Master of Social Work program mission statement, part of which deals with anti-oppressive social work practices, motivated me to apply... middle of paper ... on weekends, I will dedicate at least 10 hours to class work. So, 17.5 hours of time that will be dedicated to this program on a weekly basis. I believe I can balance my education with my professional work due to the flexibility I have at work in scheduling appointments. I plan to schedule more appointments during the day so that I have more time to do schoolwork at home in the evenings. Living with my parents and not having anyone to depend on me will also give me more opportunities to focus on my school work. Additionally, I completed an online social work course in the summer of 2009, Community Social Work. I was successful in the course despite the demands of the program and also other responsibilities I had. Works Cited http://www.canada.com/health/Tragic+number+aboriginal+children+foster+care+stuns+even+experts /8354098/storia.html