Overcoming Adversity as a Direct Support Professional by Isabella

Overcoming Adversity as a Direct Support Professional by Isabella - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

When I graduated from high school, I decided to take on a new job. I previously worked at a fast-food restaurant for a few years, and I was very good at it, but I was stagnant in my position, with no room for growth if I wanted to go to school. I began applying to new jobs and was hired for an adult day program. The program is for adults who have developmental disabilities, and it allows these adults to have support in going on outings to fun places like restaurants, as well as places that teach life skills, like grocery shopping. The program also teaches clients life skills such as cooking and cleaning. This was my top choice of jobs, and I began working as soon as possible. I would like to pursue a career working with people with developmental disabilities. As I began working here, I learned that many of the adults that I work with have violent or destructive behaviors. After working at my new job for about two months, one of my clients had a very violent episode directed at me. Plans for our weekly full-day fun activity changed, and she was struggling to safely communicate her frustration over this with me. Instead, she began trying to chase and hit me. I truly did not know what to do in this situation. She ended up backing me into a corner, and my supervisor intervened. Everyone was safe, but I was very shaken up. Shortly thereafter, one of our executives came in to talk to me. She was not upset, but she said it was evident that I did not know what to do in that situation. She explained that when people get that upset, they become unable to be properly reasoned with. They are so upset that they cannot think logically and are instead focused on expressing their frustration. The best course of action is to clear the other people out of the room and have one staff member remain with the upset client. This staff member will ignore the client's actions and only speak to the client when they have sorted out the frustration. I have now worked at my current job for about a year, and I have witnessed many similar situations. I have greatly improved at separating the other clients as well as engaging with the upset client. I have been able to prevent multiple people from getting hurt in these situations. While getting pulled aside by an executive was one of the most nerve-wracking conversations I have ever had, I am so grateful that I did because it made me a more well-rounded employee and allowed me to learn how to talk to people with developmental disabilities when they are experiencing strong emotions.