That's my Scholarship Story... (and I'm Sticking to it)

The University that I will be attending offers 12 scholarships to reduce tuition by almost half. That is a huge reduction, and would make paying for school so much less difficult in year 2. (Original tuition=about ₤8,000. Tuition with scholarship= ₤5,000.) Especially with the dollar so weak lately, that is a whole lot of money.

The requirement for this competitive scholarship was a 600 word essay. First of all, a 600 word ANYTHING is difficult for me, as in I am so verbose. (verbose=Amy can't ever stop talking.) So I knew that is was going to be a little tough. To top it off, in 600 words they wanted to know WHY them, WHY the degree that I am going for, ABOUT me, and my FUTURE plans. That is a lot to cover, especially since I also have to throw in the gratuitous, please-give-me-money-I'm-a-poor-broke-college-student-with-kids-wah! bit.

I didn't put it off to the last minute (yay me!) and worked on it quite a bit. I am proud with what I came up with in the end. And I thought you might like me to share it with you all too. So, here it is, all 568 (including citation) words of it.

“Why I should be one of the twelve to receive a scholarship.”

I am a 32 year old, non-traditional, returning student with a family, raised on the border between the United States and Mexico by a Scotch-Irish, Anglican family. My culture is a blend of many countries. I have been professionally teaching for 9 years without a degree, and my qualifications have been consistently seen as lesser based on the fact that I have not yet completed a Bachelor’s Degree. I am a driven and motivated teacher working actively towards my goals in higher education. I am also an honours student, with a current Grade Point Average of 3.812, out of a 4.0.

Teaching is my passion and life’s work. For 13 years, I have worked with learners from birth through adulthood, in general education and special needs classrooms, in both traditional and non-traditional settings. I believe in the sanctity of education as a universal human right and as a method for human advancement. I believe education is the key to social change.

Through my teaching experience and studies, I have learned that both American and British schools are ripe for change in classrooms and pedagogy. Educational research has shown us more about the workings of young minds and their capability to learn; and we have a greater understanding of practices that best enable learning than we have ever had before. Learning to learn is now seen as a skill that is vital to a student’s life achievement.

Furthermore, through the Internet, our world has become larger in perspective than ever before. Our children no longer think in terms of their city, or even their country: we live in a truly global society. Teaching requires an understanding of this global and technological perspective, and I feel optimally primed to meet that challenge. I have successfully blended technology and multimedia into my methods. I am of three cultures, immigrating into a fourth. I understand bias and discrimination from both sides. I have experienced societal integration and second language immersion. I am a product of my own culture, which cannot be bound by borders.

I chose this university for multiple reasons. England is considered to be cutting edge in its educational praxis. This University is recognised by the Times Online to be one of the top 20 Universities in the field of education in the United Kingdom. ¹ It is also a multi-cultural University, apparent in both its setting and its student body. The city is a city of many languages: being so close to France, and with so many students from other countries, this multilinguicity is also a part of the University campus. In the end, my choice was easy. This University is the best University in the best city for me to attain my Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

Following completion of my Bachelor’s programme, I intend to continue on with my education, by seeking first a Master’s, then a Doctorate Degree in fields of Multi-Cultural Education, Critical Pedagogy, and Social Justice. I envision myself staying in England, moving to the forefront of educational research, and using my cross-cultural perspective to create environments of shared learning in which pre-service teachers can learn in hands-on settings. I feel I have much to offer, and a scholarship would ease the burden of being an international student.

¹The Times Online (27 May, 2005) Full Subject Tables, Education. [Online] Available from:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article526747.ece

further, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,13407,00.html [Accessed 12^th July, 2007].