Vaska Djoleva

I am a graduate student in BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University London level six. I am a highly committed, passionate and empathetic person with over six years of experience working with children and families. I have the skills of emotional intelligence and empathy to determine a child's emotional and social needs and work on their further progress.

I am focused on building trust and a long-term relationship with children and parents by establishing effective communication and listening actively. I am currently looking to develop a career working with disabled children and to expand the knowledge that I gained at university. In my free time, I am passionate about reading psychology and child development topics.

I am currently working as a befriender with an autistic 16-year-old child, two hours a week. By working with an autistic child for two years, I have developed the skills of active listening and patience. I give her time to express her feelings and I validate what she says.

Working as a sales associate for six years, I have developed a good communication skill and active listening. I have learned how to ask open questions to understand customers’ needs and summarise what they say so they get the feeling of being listened to and understood. Also, I have over four years of previous working experience with children of different age groups and families, mainly vulnerable groups.

Working with vulnerable people, I have developed my skills of empathy and emotional intelligence. While working with refugees, I have noticed that children were often neglected by their parents due to the traumatic experience the families went through. By providing them with a safe space where children can play, be educated, and where the parents can express their feelings, we managed to build trust and long-term relationships.

This resulted in improved mental health and wellbeing, attending school and leisure activities, and improved performance in school.

I am a graduate student in BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University London level six, first-class degree. Related modules that I have undertaken are Lifecycle development, Safeguarding in practice (73%, mainly focused on understanding the Care Act 2014 and the importance of person-centred care, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the assessment of individuals' mental capacity, and The Equality Act 2010), Personal resilience and significant life events (83%, nominated as a top achiever), Health promotion, Health and Safety (89%), Cost of living crises and the impact on mental health (73%).

During my studies, I have developed the following skills:

Research skills: I can effectively provide comprehensive analysis on topics related to health and social care, understanding qualitative and quantitative data.

Critical thinking: I have the skills to evaluate, analyse and compare data from different sources before coming up with a conclusion.

Empathy and emotional intelligence: By reading and doing deep research on topics related to psychology, I developed the ability to understand people's feelings, emotions and body language easily. I apply my skills in different circumstances and approach people to discuss the issue when I notice that they are going through some difficulties.

Cultural awareness: During my studies, I have developed my knowledge of different cultures by being in a multicultural environment. I have an approach to respect other people’s culture and values, without stereotypes and prejudice.