MA TESOL Older Applicant Personal Purpose Statement
- Robert Edinger
- Jun 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago

Originally from Romania, I have spent the past ten years advancing my teaching career in Canada. Now living in Azusa, California on a student visa, I am enthusiastic about pursuing a master's degree in TESOL through your prestigious program. With over 20 years of teaching experience, my main focus has been on peace studies. A notable achievement in my efforts to promote cultures of peace was my internship with the XXXX Center for Teaching Peace from 2010-2011, where I worked as the Peace Video Production Manager.
I am convinced that peacebuilding is vital for everyone and can serve as a valuable tool in teaching ESL, particularly in fostering historical friendships and healing divisions between communities. Additionally, I aim to honor and promote my Christian faith, which I believe has significant potential for transforming individuals and communities. This is a key reason I wish to study at Azusa Pacific University.
As a child in Romania, I secretly learned English by listening to Radio Free Europe. I vividly recall President John Kennedy's 1962 speech at the Berlin Wall, which instilled in me a deep appreciation for the English language and its connection to the values of human liberation. Radio Free Europe exposed me to a wealth of ideas and opportunities that were otherwise inaccessible in my repressive, communist country. Reading English books about prominent American figures inspired me and fueled my curiosity about American culture and history.
I completed my undergraduate degree in History in Romania and continue to study history, with a particular interest in the theme of friendship throughout history. As a graduate student in your TESOL program, I hope to apply the pedagogical power of friendship to the noble ideals of ESL. I greatly value how XXU encourages both spirituality and service among its students. My interactions with people at XXU have motivated me to apply to your program. Conversations with Dr. XXXX, Chair of the Department of Global Studies, Sociology, and TESOL, have excited me about studying the unique challenges in second or foreign language acquisition. I was also inspired by a discussion with Dr. XXXX in the Department of English Literature. Both professors helped me understand how Christian principles uniquely shape the academic standards and directions of XXXX.
Mrs. XXXX at the International Student Center has provided invaluable assistance. These three distinguished professionals have helped me feel connected to the university and have instilled in me a deep sense of intellectual solidarity with your values and mission.
MA TESOL Older Applicant Personal Purpose Statement






Your statement is warm, compelling, and deeply rooted in a lifetime of meaningful experience, and what makes it especially powerful is the way your personal history, professional journey, and spiritual commitments all come together with such clarity of purpose. You write with the voice of someone who has lived through profound cultural, political, and educational transitions, and who has transformed those experiences into a genuine calling to teach, serve, and build peace.
One of the most striking strengths of your narrative is the depth of your teaching background. With more than twenty years of experience—spanning Romania, Canada, and now the United States—you present yourself as an educator who has not only mastered the craft of teaching but has continually expanded…