EDM Master of Literacy Education Immigrant Personal Purpose

Graduate celebrating her Master of Literacy Education at American University, embodying personal purpose and the achievements of an immigrant journey.

Born and raised in New York and New Jersey, I am an American girl with a Greek family. I am fully fluent in my native language, Greek, which we use at home, but most of the time, I think in English, as much a New Yorker as anybody else. My family's immigrant experience/identity has contributed to my growing awareness of and sensitivity to questions of social justice and issues such as poverty, racial discrimination, the lasting and horrendously destructive impact of war, etc. While still only twenty-six, I have increasingly developed a fuller appreciation of how education, especially literacy education, serves as the foundation of progressive social change.

This is why I want to devote my life to literacy education. I have done extensive research on literacy education programs, and I am convinced that ____’s master's program is the best match for my very high level of motivation and my main interest in literacy education as a vehicle for progressive social change. I look forward to the dynamics of interaction with other graduate students from around the world who share my passion. And I look forward to the way that your faculty helps to groom and encourage us all to develop the most creative visions possible of ourselves as teachers, working together to identify and critique the assumptions on which we operate, striving for ever-greater levels of realistic pragmatism, self-reflection, cultural and socio-economic criticism, all with a profound respect for indigenous custom and culture.

From American University, with a Master's in Literacy Education

The most fulfilling thing I have done in my life to date is the year I spent from May 2005 through May 2006 laboring very diligently on behalf of the United Nations Fourth Permanent Forum on Indigenous People, serving as a researcher and reporter. I had the privilege of attending conferences for NGOs and academic institutions. I conducted research and reported continuously on numerous Indigenous Forums and helped with research analysis in accordance with proposed U.N. recommendations. Finally, I illustrated a final report on implementing a global educational system.

My interest in literacy and social justice led me to major in International Criminal Justice and Human Rights at the XXXX College of Criminal Justice at XXXX University. And my fascination with international affairs led me to accept the professional position that I currently hold as a Visitor Visa Clerk and Immigration Assistant to the Canadian Consulate General. Throughout my studies of human rights issues, what has fascinated me most are comparative ways to struggle towards the eradication of poverty. What drives me to pursue a Master’s degree and become a teacher is primarily my desire to help students be optimistic about the future, feel secure, and inspire them to achieve ever-more-noble ideas in increasingly creative ways, finding their own purpose in life through critical thinking and thoughtful reflection. I want to thank you for consideration of my application to your program.