Ariel Edwards
they/them
🚀About Me
My name is Ariel Edwards and I use they/them pronouns. In December 2020, I completed an Associate's of Science in psychology at Georgia State University Perimeter College. Currently, I am a senior in the Bachelor of Social Work program within the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Growing up, I was introduced to social justice issues through the arts, primarily through music, visual arts, and poetry. I was amazed that despite our cultural, geographical, and socioeconomic differences the arts brought people together as a universal form of communication beyond words alone. Also, by partnering with artists and creative thinkers in the community the arts can be used as a starting point to heal communities and open dialogues on sensitive issues. Initially, I was a psychology major in my freshman and sophomore years. I wanted to develop more of an empirical understanding of how the human mind affects behavior in different contexts. With that understanding, I thought that I could help people overcome adversity. However, since psychology incorporates aspects of the medical model, I found that we mainly labeled individual people without considering systemic adversities beyond their control, overlooked the unique qualities of an individual as a source of empowerment, or discounted how underserved communities come together through their cultural traditions to overcome social injustices, such as how capoeira became a mixed martial art dance form out of oppression. As I read through the values and ethical principles of social work in NASW’s Code of Ethics, I loved how they aligned with most of my own. Since I was captivated by how social work incorporates a holistic approach to addressing social injustices while serving those most vulnerable in our societies, I thought I could best help others by becoming a social worker instead of a clinical psychologist.
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Design💪Skills & Strengths
Neuroexceptional Talents
Being a neurodiverse individual, I have the ability to think critically, logically, creatively, and visually, pay great attention to details, adhere to rules and regulations, be honest and reliable, remember facts for an extended period of time, problem-solve, and focus intensively when working on an area of interest.
Creative ThinkerDetail-oriented ThinkerHyperfocusOut of the Box Problem Solver