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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Amanda HowardPsychology, 2011

Personal Statement

Hello, My name is Amanda and I am a ambitious person looking to succeed in sociology. I came from a single parent home, a mother who did not graduate high school. My immediate goal is to find work working with families and my long-term goal is to complete my Master degree in psychology.

ResumeAmanda Christine Howard1045Pineland Ave. Venice, Fl 34285 941-412-8666 Lakemandi@yahoo.comProfile: Seeking a position in a professional atmosphere as Family Service Worker where I can use my skills and experience. I am looking for long term employment where I can grow and learn in the field of Sociology. If you are looking for a dependable, honest, person who has exceptional

organizational and communication skills, I am that person. I have 5 years experience in management, and customer service skills and am outstanding in dealing with emergency situations.

 Employment: Driver-Carevan-Venice, FL 2006-CurrentTransport wheelchair and stretcher patients to Doctor’s appointmentsCompanion at the Doctor’s officeTo follow HIPPA guidelinesTransport people in their last days to hospice Home Health Aide-Right At home-Sarasota, Fl, Sept, 2008-2009Private home health careAssisted with daily activitiesTransported to doctor’s appointmentsCompanionship  Home Health Aide-Nursing Resources-Venice, Fl, 2006-2009Private Home Health careTransported patients to appointmentsAssisted in Physical Therapy exercisesActivities of Daily Living Outings, and CompanionshipMedical Assistant-Pain Management-Sarasota, Fl, 2005-2006Attended to Patient concerns Prescription refills Scheduled Inventory and ordering supplies Removal of sutures and I.V.s Education: Keiser University, 2004 Associate of Science in Medical AssistingArgosy University, 2011, Bachelors of Psychology  Skills:  Management, Microsoft office package, Medical office manager, QuickBooks, Inventory, Accounts payable, Payroll, Customer Service, Scheduling, Basic X-ray, Vital signs,

and injections.  Achievement: 3.0 grade point average overall, capability to make decisions during a crisis, ability to demonstrate empathy and sympathy, the talent to set firm limits and boundaries both

with myself and others, volunteer at the Center for Hope Church, Certified Home Health Aide, Certified in cardio pulmonary rescue and first aide, Registered medical assistant.

 References:  Available upon request

Reflection

Able to compare, contrast, and use information from a variety of sources pertinent to the chosen topic when completing a project in psychology.

Able to correctly summarize the research design, statistical and other evaluative tools, and findings of the article.

Exhibits the ability to develop, apply and defend a particular stance related to psychological concepts in written work.

Effectively engages in ethical thinking and action, evidenced by the ability to articulate best-practices pertaining to case examples and/or other specific problems associated with the field.

Claims ownership over personal biases, and works to increase awareness and respect for diverse populations.

Able to synthesize and evaluate various psychological theories, and apply them to explain everyday events and experiences.

Consistently applies psychological principles in his/her everyday decision-making and interactions with others, in the news, and in organizations s/he comes into contact with such as schools, workplaces, and places of worship and recreation.

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

Impacts of Gender and Culture on a RelationshipDavid is of Northern European descent, while two thirds of his staff is African American and half of his staff is female. This has no affect on his management skills; he does not treat anyone differently because of their culture or gender. There are four main impacts that gender and culture can have on a leader in a company; masculinity/femininity, Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, and Individualism/collectivism.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

The different jobs the five models suggested for me were sales, public related jobs, politics, finance management, air traffic controllers, accountant, judge, and a financial manager just to name a few. In my opinion I would have never put my self in any of these positions, except the public related position. I like to work with others, I like to talk, if I could be person who travels and gives classes on helping to make a difference in the world that would be great. I would love to be able to inform people on pollution in our environment and what it does to animals, plants, and people. I suppose this could even be considered political.

Research Skills

The children were observed from ages 10-15, male and female, Caucasian and African-American. For two hours after playing the video games the kids were observed for their behaviors. I did use a control group in my design so it could be flawed. The setting was in controlled conditions so this could have affected the validity also. The children should be further interviewed when they reach adulthood. Their may be children who are already prone to violent behavior because of conditions at home? Do any of the kids have mental dispositions? Do any of the kids already have a history of behavior problems? All these questions need to be taken in to consideration.

Communication Skills: Oral and Written

I interviewed a friend Amy who is half Cuban and half Caucasian. I asked her the following five questions:

1. Me: Do you think you have better opportunities claiming being Caucasian? Amy: I don't think I have better opportunities claiming myself as being Caucasian, rather than

claiming myself as Hispanic.  I just think people would stereotype me if I did put down that I was Hispanic on applications, etc. 

 2.  Me: Do you think you have a better social life being white? Amy: No, I don't.  I have friends that are both Hispanic and white, but seem to have more in

common with the white ones because the Hispanics like to speak Spanish most of the time and I feel excluded since I don't speak the language fluently and I also feel that they get annoyed somewhat because they have to translate, etc.

 3.   Me: Do you have better opportunities for school and work being one race over another? Amy: No, I don't think I have better opportunities for school being one race over another.  Years

ago I would have said that I had better opportunities for work by being white, but there are so many Hispanics living here now that I'm noticing are just as qualified, or more qualified as I am (many of them that I work with) that I don't feel that way anymore. 

  4. Me: Do you think if you were considered Cuban you would be treated differently? Amy: I do think that I would be treated a little bit differently if I was considered Cuban.  Since I

have a Spanish last name, people looking at my application for example would probably automatically assume I maybe spoke broken English or wasn't as bright as those who were white.

Ethics and Diversity Awareness

While the fact that race is a social construct applies to all individuals, U.S. society expects individuals to choose a single racial identification. This norm is problematic for multiracial not only when they choose two or more, but when they assimilate and choose only one of their racial ancestries. Their physical appearance can limit their choices and their own identifications are likely to be affected (but not determined) by the perceptions of others.

Foundations of Psychology

Children who experience kidnapping and sexual abuse most likely experience an effect on their developmental process such as their sense of safety, they do not feel safe because their parents could not protect them. PTSD can lead to many disturbances in a child’s life. A child may feel depressed, use and abuse illegal. substances, and begin to have trouble in school

Applied Psychology

To get Rocco to understand empathy I will have him offer his services to younger kids and his peers. A victim empathy class may increase his interpersonal skills. A sense of competency is fundamental to a healthy relationship with family and community. He can tell his story and give advice on how to avoid gang membership. Rocco can have an important effect on the community and the welfare of other students. In return Rocco will feel like he is a valuable and an important person, this also teaches him by helping others this is how a community works together.

Critical Thinking

This memo is to inform you of the benefits and the weaknesses of the bill addressing the likely medical, psychological, and sociological outcomes. As we all know the act states that pregnant women that test positive for illegal drug use will be required to enter a treatment program or they will face going to prison where they will be forced to be in a treatment program. That is where we as healthcare professionals step in, we are to report immediately to the sheriff’s office any positive results of drug use in pregnant woman if the bill becomes a law. The benefits of this bill would allow us to help a viable fetus at a chance to be born healthy and hopefully to get the mother clean and rehabilitated. When we save a fetus from the chance of being born with disabilities we are also saving the cost of future care for the child which is a large amount of money that comes out of everyone of our pockets.

My Future in Learning

I envision my future as a life long learning process. In the near future I plan on attending school to complete my Bachelors in Psychology. In the meantime I plan on reading articles related in the field and signing up for any events pertaining to psychology. I want to devote my time working with people in need of help.

Contact Me

Thank you for viewing my ePortfolio.

For further information, please contact me at the e-

mail address below. lakemandi@yahoo.com