This blog post explores how to organically link field service experience with an understanding of welfare policy in a social work academic plan to present a compelling argument.

Writing about academic experiences and reflections

“Creative activities for publishing a class anthology”
In my first year of high school, my homeroom teacher was very approachable to students. I still carry with me the affection this teacher showed for students and the strong passion for classroom management. The teacher particularly enjoyed group activities that encouraged student participation, and among these, the activity of regularly publishing a class anthology stands out in my memory. This activity became an opportunity for me to develop an interest in the organizations or groups I belonged to, as well as in the local community and the nation. Before that, I tended to be a passive student, studying only what was assigned.
However, through publishing the anthology, I went out to conduct interviews myself, worked in teams, wrote articles as a reporter, and participated in group discussions to generate content. Gradually, my thinking developed and my values began to form. Among these, I gained social values and a perspective on society. I also came to enjoy examining the various aspects of the society I belonged to, acquiring knowledge, and organizing and processing it. The themes for the class anthology weren’t particularly special. The teacher only provided the broad framework; the rest was entirely filled in by the students through discussions from start to finish. Since we had rarely engaged in such autonomous activities, we found it both interesting and challenging.
For example, because it was an anthology, there was no clear objective, so we sometimes wrote articles, sometimes engaged in creative writing, and sometimes included personal writings between friends. To achieve this, we sometimes wrote literary pieces or produced collaborative works. When necessary, we also wrote articles on social topics reflecting our interests. We even wrote personal letters expressing affection for classmates or friends we worked with in teams. Through these activities, we felt both fulfillment and deep emotion. Although there were times when writing didn’t come easily or meeting deadlines was difficult, having friends to tackle these challenges together made it a rewarding experience.

Writing about Major School Activities and Reflections
“Volunteering as a Helper for the School’s Special Needs Class”
During my second semester of freshman year in high school, I participated in a one-day volunteer helper activity recruited by the school. At the time, I applied because I needed to fill my volunteer hours; I didn’t realize I would be volunteering for a special needs class. I was assigned to a special needs class and served as a one-day volunteer, helping one such class within the school. To be honest, before this volunteer work, I wasn’t particularly interested in the students with disabilities at my school. I knew they were there and would occasionally say hello if I saw them, but I didn’t have a strong sense that I needed to help them.
The reason was that while my friends had disabilities like hearing or visual impairments, the teacher in charge of the special needs class took care of them. So, while students might have felt they should be considerate of their peers with disabilities, they often didn’t know what specific actions or help to provide. I learned how to do this through my one-day volunteer helper experience. Within one class, there were friends with various disabilities. Some had no physical disabilities but only physical impairments, while others had no issues with other senses but only hearing impairments. I also learned about classmates with speech impairments, visual impairments, or dual sensory impairments, gradually understanding each student’s specific needs.
During my one-day volunteer shift, I assisted a classmate with a speech impairment by helping with verbal communication, presentations, note-taking, and providing explanations.
This experience deeply moved me and gave me a great sense of fulfillment. Afterwards, I joined the school’s volunteer club to properly assist the special needs class. Through the volunteer club, I became a recognized official volunteer and visited the class regularly, meeting with the students frequently. At that time, I also went hiking on Namsan Mountain with friends from the special needs class. During the hike, I continuously served as their walking stick, providing support. I paid careful attention to offer physical assistance while they visited Namsan Tower and walked through Myeongdong.
Throughout the hike, I continuously provided strength, and while it was tiring for me too, I cultivated patience through perseverance and consideration. The fact that my small effort became the strength that enabled others to move was especially rewarding for me. Later, I planned a beach experience camp during summer vacation and served as an accompanying guide during the camp. For the beach experience, I went shopping for swimsuits with them beforehand, prepared meals, and learned water safety rules. I focused especially on assisting my friends with disabilities during their experiences at the beach. After the camp, during the school term, I served as an IT class assistant, helping with computer practice sessions and enabling them to take notes using laptops. Fundamentally, I helped them learn how to turn computers on and off, master document creation and editing, and assisted in processes like recording spoken words or converting them to text.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and Reflections

“Visiting Welfare Facilities Through Radio Volunteer Travel”
Since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve been active in a volunteer club, primarily assisting students with disabilities in our school’s special education classes. During this time, a marathon for visually impaired individuals was held at our school. I also helped support participants with disabilities, ensuring they could complete the marathon without issues. This experience inspired me to join fellow club members on a radio-guided volunteer journey to experience ‘walking together’ firsthand. While planning our volunteer journey, we aimed not just to walk and travel, but specifically to visit facilities where we could volunteer.
We selected 18 senior welfare centers and disability welfare facilities nationwide as our destinations. In short, it was a journey where we set welfare facilities as our lodging points during our national trek, staying overnight while simultaneously performing volunteer activities. Through this journey, we visited regions including Gangwon, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Chungbuk, and Incheon, touring facilities in each area and carrying out volunteer activities. Our program integrated a national pilgrimage with volunteering at social welfare facilities. Due to its hitchhiking nature, we operated on minimal costs, which often led to the facilities supporting and assisting our activities.
We developed and rehearsed performance programs targeting the elderly and children. When visiting welfare facilities for people with disabilities, we specifically implemented empowerment programs. While conducting sensory development experience programs, we made kimchi alongside physically challenged individuals and prepared side dishes or ingredients usable at the facilities. We also challenged ourselves with cookie baking, using ovens for cooking. Rather than doing everything for them, we provided an environment where people with disabilities could participate hands-on, thereby giving meaning to our service. Meanwhile, at children’s welfare facilities, we held cultural performance events where we could interact with the children. To make this possible, we prepared theater performances or puppet shows before our trips, so we could demonstrate them for the children.

Academic Plans and Future Career Path After University Admission

“Efforts to Grow as a Public Official in the Social Welfare Field”
While there are various career paths related to social welfare studies, the one I envision for myself is becoming a public official. Growing into a public official in the social welfare field and engaging with the various social systems handled by public institutions would suit me well. My decision to set becoming a social welfare public official as my career goal is relatively recent. Initially, I considered becoming a volunteer who directly engages in service activities at welfare facilities. However, I came to realize that while practical work is important, the systems and policies enabling such practice are equally crucial.
I learned that even attempting a single volunteer activity faces constraints if the appropriate systems and laws aren’t in place. This led me to decide to major in Social Welfare. Social welfare is a field that allows me to fully understand and study activities and systems related to various forms of welfare, such as child welfare, elderly welfare, family welfare, and institutional welfare. It is highly suited to my aptitude. I have a profound interest in this field and have consistently engaged in related activities since high school. Therefore, based on my experiences and studies thus far, I will deeply explore my major subjects and strive to translate my research into practical action.
By the time I reach my senior year of university, I will begin studying for the civil service exam to become a public servant in the social welfare field. While it is advisable to start preparing for the exam early, ideally from the third year of university, my intensive exam preparation will commence in my fourth year. I will dedicate myself solely to studying for one year to achieve excellent results and prepare to pass on the first attempt, becoming a contributor to society. As a civil servant in the social welfare field requires, above all, knowledge of welfare systems, I will rapidly acquire this practical knowledge and grow into a proactive worker capable of handling situations effectively. In this way, I will become a just talent who can actively provide information to marginalized groups throughout society.