1

Claire Greenlee Personal Statement School of Behavioral Sciences

For four years of my life I worked as a peer tutor and caring for people with disabilities. I may be benevolent in nature but there are no words to describe what I learned in just those four years about others- and especially myself. I was in a classroom with four other children, some with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Autism, and others with a combination of both. I created a strong friendship with one of the girls I worked with. I asked Kirsten if we could use our story in my statement and she proudly proclaimed yes. Over the course of four years Kirsten became my sidekick as we conquered the balancing act of keeping the room exactly how the others liked it, meal times, and physical activities. Kirsten had muscular dystrophy and was limited to wheelchair use. I hate using the word limited because this girl knows no boundaries and was able to do anything that anyone else could do in my eyes. I never saw the disability in the people I worked with and in turn it made everyone feel really comfortable and I was able to create healthy bonds that encouraged them to go above and beyond. Kirsten used to joke and say that I gave her magical powers but I told her it was just called confidence. Every time I met with Kirsten we would go a physical therapy center. When I began working with Kirsten I had her make a list of goals that we hung up on the wall. Number one on her list was to build enough strength in her legs to walk on her own. Walking was important for her and her independence and it became a top priority for us to achieve. Im not going to say that it was easy, because there were days that we struggled and days that Kirsten wanted to give up. I made the best of those times by making our work seem like play. I had never played hopscotch but I knew that you had to get to a certain square on the floor with movement so we created our own kind of hopscotch that she could play while using a walker which it made it easier on her just to focus on the number in the square rather than the pressures she had on herself. I reached out to my friend, Morgan, who is a personal trainer in order to learn some strength training moves we could use in order to finish a safe and successful work out. I did the work outs alongside Kirsten because I wanted her to see that everyone no matter what needs to place an importance on health and wellness and to ensure that I was being fully supportive. My compassion is what inspired me to reach out to different resources that I knew could help build my understanding and didnt require sending Kirstens family a bill. Over the course of time Kirsten began to dismiss her wheelchair and eventually was able to let go of her walker. Currently, Kirsten is pursuing her dreams of becoming an English teacher at the University of Louisville and she couldnt be happier. I couldnt be more proud. It is this

story that has inspired me to do what I love and that is to continue working with people and helping them to overcome the obstacles in their life, no matter what they are. Looking at my transcript you may see some gaps and some downfalls. Simply put, there were times when others needs became more important to me than my own and other times I needed to focus on what I knew was important. I became a mother to a beautiful, healthy boy in 2011 which stalled some of my academia- however it did not stop my education. If I was to become a mother in the next nine months I was going to become the best one the only way I knew how. I read almost every book on the shelf of Barnes and Noble and revisited old textbooks from past courses such as Child Development. My focus wasnt always passing the tests or writing in the discussion boards which unfortunately has faulted me on paper, but I have a deep understanding of what I have learned and read because I have an intense motivation and it was something that cued my interests. I always do my research and will always have an intense will to learn, especially when it is combined with passion. Because of the fact that I am a mother and have an interest in behavioral sciences I possess certain discernment. I dig deeper into the character of people and analyze, not judge, why it is the way they are. By acknowledging the natural development of humans and recognizing how their environment has shaped ones self, I learn a new perspective and understanding that enables me to fix something that they might not have been able to themselves. Knowing who I am and what I stand for helps me to evaluate the needs of others. For instance, there are many reasons why I believe I am said to have a dual personality. Sometimes I am be a bold force that is outgoing and knows no strangers and other times I can be a meek student that is okay with letting someone take the lead when I feel I can learn from them. It could be that I produce a different persona that reflects my surroundings or different issues that arouse a greater response from me, such as generosity towards those who are less fortunate. It could be embedded in my March 19th birthday and how astrology affects my personality. Or it could be simply because my parents acquire two very different types of personalities. My father is a very strong-willed man that has no trouble speaking his mind while in contrast; my mom is more of an introvert. It is helpful to recognize these possibilities in order for me to know myself, know outcomes of my personal behavior, and lessen the biases I have when meeting people. This type of outlook has helped me in my personal life as well as my professional life. When I worked with Kirsten I was easily able to tell that she really just needed a friend to be there for her. Within our relationship she confided in me and I was able to detect issues that dealt with her personal life and curbed our activities around her emotions which helped her work through them. Its a way of connecting with people; its my way of life. My experiences working with people from all different facets, educational courses, and transitioning into motherhood have formed me into a versatile, enthusiastic student and future employee for anyone willing to be treated with the upmost respect and caring.