Thursday, August 27, 2020

An Introduction to Me

 Who Am I?

    Hello all! If you aren't already aware, my name is Rachel Goldin (yes that is golden with an "i") and I am a senior Social Work major. Last year I transferred here from the University of Arkansas for a myriad of reasons, but a main one being that I was accepted into the Social Work program at OU, which just happens to be a fabulous program. I will graduate next spring with my BSW and will almost immediately step into the accelerated masters program. I will graduate in the spring of 2022 with my Master of Social Work, which will allow me to practice as a social worker. I do plan to pursue my LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, which requires 2-3 years of supervision. At the end of it all, I will be able to practice therapy without working within the confines of an agency, which is my ultimate goal. If you know anything about the enneagram, I am a type 2 with a wing 1, so I think that should tell you something about my personality and may help explain why I want to be a therapist. If you don't know what the enneagram is, I highly recommend taking this quick test because it will tell you so much about your personality and your motivations behind the way you do things. If you're slightly offended by what your type is, you're in the right place. 
    
    I am not just my future career or my school though! My pride and joy is my chunky little fur baby named Gladys. I found her in the parking lot of my old church about 2 years ago and the rest is history. Here are some incredible photos of her for your viewing pleasure. As you can see, she is incredible.                             
      Here she is in all her glory. These photos were taken by me, on my couch.  

    In addition to pet ownership, I have a few hobbies that I am truly passionate about. I love reading, so much so that I commemorated that love in a tattoo on my right forearm, going to concerts (or listening music in general), cross-stitching, baking, singing the Phantom of the Opera at the top of my lungs, thrifting weird little knick-knacks, and buying exuberant amounts of cheap candles from TJ Maxx. If you have looked at my previous post about my favorite places, I don't believe it will come as a surprise that my favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Fahrenheit 451, and many more that I simply cannot list here because of the sheer numbers. My favorite concerts I have ever been to were The Killers, both in St. Louis and at the Amp in Arkansas, a triple concert with Awolnation, AJR, and Judah and the Lion in Tulsa, and a small band called Brother Moses at a random house in Arkansas. Before the pandemic, I tried to go to at least one concert every few months for the health of my soul, but good ole' 'Rona has made that impossible. 

   I will leave you now with one of my favorite scenes in cinema, and subsequently, one of my favorite quotes of all time. This scene takes place in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Frodo is wounded and being overpowered by the One Ring, the battle rages on and the Fellowship is struggling to get the upper hand, but there is this precious moment that brings it all back into focus. I truly believe it is as relevant to us in this time and day as it was during the darkest times in Middle Earth. Please watch and enjoy, and let Sam's wise words move you.




-Rachel




14 comments:

  1. Hello, my name is also Rachel. I have to start off by saying I love the background image of your blog. As a proud cat owner, I absolutely find Gladys adorable. Phantom of the Opera is outstanding musical, and I can relate to singing along loudly and a bit of key. Which version/cast is your favorite? I love the cast with Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo. And I love your favorite movie scene. I’m a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings, and have an unconditional love for Sam and Legolas.

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  2. Hi Rachel! That is so amazing you are wanting to go into the social work field! My best friend Elizabeth is a social work major as well and she is loving it! Such a rewarding field to get into! Also how fun was that quick test you included to get to know more about your personality! I want to go make one for my blog too haha. And I just have to say I am OBSESSED with your fur baby! I am a huge cat lover too and I miss not having him with me here at school! So precious! It was so nice getting to know you and I hope this semester is going well for you! :)

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  3. Hi Rachel!
    Glad to see another avid reader! I read all the time too, it's been one of my main solaces for a very long time. It always makes me happy to see others who take solace in books like I do, particularly since I hope to write books of my own someday soon.
    Also loved your inclusion of a movie scene at the end of your introduction, was a really nice touch!

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  4. It is always so great to meet SW majors in this class, Rachel! There are lots of ways that different kinds of therapists use storytelling and journaling in their work, and maybe you will get some ideas from this class about practices you can use in your future career. Writers like Tolkien and Lewis were all about borrowing from stories all over the world to create their own imaginary places (and inspirational messages!), so maybe that is something you will be able to do in this class too. And your Gladys is absolutely adorable: what a fur-girl! Maybe she can make a guest appearance in some stories that you write for this class: especially during the pandemic, we need all the good energy that the pets can give us.

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  5. Hello Rachel!
    My name is Kylie and I really enjoyed reading your introduction post. Your cats are so cute, I always love seeing pictures of people's pets. I think it is so cool that you in the social worker program at OU , I am sure that can be a bit challenging. I also love how passionate you are about your future career. You seem like you are very creative and a hard worker. So nice to get to know more about you!

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  6. Hi Rachel :) I think that's so, so awesome you're going to be a social worker! You guys do really tough work that I know helps so many people, and there is such a need for good, passionate people in that capacity. It's really cool we like a lot of the same books and movies! I really love that scene with Sam because he's always so hard on himself for not being good at poetry when one of his greatest strengths are his wonderful, powerful speeches. I also love Gladys, she's SO CUTE!

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  7. Hi Rachel!
    Hug Gladys for me because she knows she is amazing. I am sure I took an enneagram test at some point, but I don't remember what on earth it was. The test you linked to puts me at a 5, probably with 9 as my secondary. That feels and reads right, so there you go!

    I hope we never have to reenact the forming of the fellowship again. Onward and upwards!
    -Eli

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  8. Hey Rachel, first off your cat is absolutely adorable and I love her! Actually one of my cats was found in a Walmart parking lot when my grandmother used to work there. Also, I see that you're a fan of Phantom of the Opera and I'm so excited to see that because it's honestly one of my favorite musicals! I was lucky enough to go to New York and finally see it on broadway, and I miss the experience ever since! Since it seems you like musicals, are you by chance a fan of and/or heard of Hadestown? It's one of my favorites that I hope to see on broadway one day. Anyway, I also hope you have a good semester!

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  9. Hi Rachel! I have to say right away your cat is so adorable! I have a cat named Leo and he truly is the reason I love cats so much! That is so exciting how you got into the social work program at OU! My best friend Elizabeth is in the social work program currently and always raves about how amazing it is! Also that is so fun you love musicals! My favorite is Wicked and I got to see it on Broadway a few years back in NYC! It was so nice to meet you and good luck with everything!

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  10. Hi Rachel! I enjoyed reading your introduction. I am familiar with the enneagram and my sister is also a 2w1 so I feel like I already know you pretty well! And that totally makes sense of why you want to be a therapist. I'm an 8w7 myself and I want to be an attorney, which I think also makes sense. The enneagram really is very helpful in understanding your own emotions! I also think your cat is super cute. My roommate's cat looks a little like yours, and he's adorable! I hope you have enjoyed OU so far and enjoy the rest of this class. Good luck!

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  11. Hi Rachel,
    It sounds like the two of us are completely different so I can't wait to read some of your writing and gain a new vantage point. Your cats look super cool, I personally am not a huge cat person they make me sneeze a ton. I have never taken an enneagram test but I just might have to now!Good luck during the remainder of this semester!

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  12. Hey Rachel! I am absolutely OBSESSED with the enneagram and love that you see your own characteristics line up with the work you are pursuing. I have so much respect for you in your goals of working as a therapist, as it is a very time consuming and emotional job. However, I know you will impact countless lives so positively and be a light for so many! Good luck with the rest of your school and professional endeavors!

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  13. Rachel, your cat Chunky is so freaking adorable!! Also it was nice to see how passionate you are about social work and how you have your career planned out. It is important to have direction in life and I like that you are passionate about what you want!!

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  14. Hi Rachel! Wow, you really have your whole future set up! I think it's pretty awesome that you know exactly what your plan is and how you're going to achieve it. Also, congratulations on graduating in the spring! That's a huge accomplishment! Your cat was also adorable to see, I have a kitty of my own! Fur babies really do take up your whole life once you get one. Anyways, it was nice to meet you!

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