Help Vanja get her Master's Degree in Social Work

Hello everyone. My name is Vanja (pronounced Vanya). I was born and raised in Serbia. When I was 18, I was awarded a scholarship to study at United World College in Mostar. After graduating in 2018, I moved to Portland, Oregon where I studied Psychology and German Studies at Lewis & Clark College on a full scholarship. After being able to work for one year after graduation, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work at Boston College. My main motivation for studying social work you can read about in my short essay below. Other reasons for studying at Boston College revolve around the current situation in Serbia to which I don’t wish to return yet. In a country where democracy has taken a back seat and is only there for show, if I were to return right now, there would be very little opportunity for getting work that would accurately correspond with my skills and abilities because I do not want to become a member of the ruling political party (read dictatorship).

Therefore, I am hoping to attend a two-year full-time master's program in Social Work at Boston College. At the moment I am taking it financially one year at a time. For this year, I need to prove that I have $74,000 for tuition, housing, and other costs. I have received $50,000 in financial aid for both years. I have already also secured a paid part-time job as a research assistant and a paid fieldwork internship that is part of my educational requirement. Moreover, I have personal savings that I will direct toward the cost. I have also done my best to apply for independent scholarships and will continue to do so. At the moment I am still waiting to hear back from them. As an international student on an F-1 visa, I am ineligible for Federal Financial Aid. I am truly doing my best to try and avoid taking out private loans because of very high-interest rates for internationals that also require a US citizen as a co-signer. This situation has led me to start a GoFundMe Campaign in order to come up with the rest of the funds I wasn’t able to obtain in other ways. Below you will find a short essay on my motivation for studying social work and some of the experiences that have led me to the program.

If you have ideas, recommendations, or questions, feel free to contact me.

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When I was little, I never wanted to go into my parents’ room when my dad was sleeping. I was afraid of waking him up because he would always shout. It wasn’t until I learned the bloody history of the Balkans and the economic situation we were left in, that I was able to comprehend my father’s reactions. As a medic during the wars that shaped Serbia’s culture and history in the 1990s, my dad developed depression, anxiety, and severe PTSD. His condition was further impacted by our family barely making ends meet. Whether it is the pride around enduring hardship that shaped our culture throughout a war-ridden history or barely making ends meet taking priority, mental health is not discussed even among those we trust most. I have dedicated my life to developing a deeper understanding of social determinants that impact mental health and ways to help those impacted by them.

When I was eighteen, I was awarded a scholarship to attend an international boarding school. I aided my classmates in fighting for mental health days as a reason for missing classes twice a year. Working on the initiative with students from five continents, I observed that mental health and well-being affected much more than just Serbia. In college, I joined a practicum that was launching a peer support mental health organization called Pio Support Network. Through launching PSN, I realized that my goals are achievable and invaluable to anyone who ever felt defeated and anxious due to their mental health. When I started working at Oregon Health & Science University as a clinical research assistant, I brought into question our protocol for administering the Concussion Symptom Subtype Inventory (CSSI) which contains a suicidal ideation item. Traumatic Brain Injuries are often linked with depression and an increased risk for suicidal ideation for which we had no established response. By considering this subset of our research population, I was able to work on implementing a process that will ensure we have a response in place for providing mental health resources to anyone coming into our lab.

More than twenty years later, my dad is finally getting the help he needs. My ultimate goal is to change society's perceptions so that people wouldn’t have to endure hardships because of the idea that caring about mental health makes us weak. By studying Social Work, I hope to destigmatize mental health in societies similar to the one I grew up in so that people like my dad can get the help that they need without having to wait two decades.