僕の志望動機エッセー

May 08, 2004

恥ずかしながら、僕が書いたStatement of Purpose、出願のためのエッセーをここに掲載しておきます。なんか、今読み返してみると、少し真面目過ぎて暗い気もします。力み過ぎかな？まあでも一所懸命書いたせっかくのエッセーなので公開してみようと思います。悪い見本としてどうぞ。

Statement of Purpose

“I cannot marry a Japanese guy because my grandmother hates Japanese people,” said a Korean girl sitting next to me. Others around her nodded. Her Malaysian friend turned to me. “Can you explain the reason why the Japanese killed so many people at Nanking in China during World War II?”

I was shocked. There I was, at a party held by an American Language and Culture Program (ALCP) at the University of Idaho, discussing racially sensitive topics. Although these girls were not trying to insult me, their remarks hurt me deeply. This was my first experience talking with people who harbored strong anti-Japanese feelings. Suddenly I realized that such sentiment still remains in Asian countries. I was embarrassed by my lack of awareness about this issue.

Were the Japanese really evil? I left the party questioning my Japanese culture and identity. I felt that I knew nothing about my own country even though I had taken Japanese history classes since I was in elementary school. My friends’ questions reminded me that there is a big empty hole inside of me. I had no idea who I was or what ethnic group I belonged to. I was no one.

This sense of loss motivated me to seek out and embrace my Japanese heritage. Shortly after the ALCP party, I founded the Japanese Student Association (JSA). I launched the group with the goal of promoting the beauty of Japanese culture and developing a better understanding of how Japan is perceived among American people and international students. However, my goals were not as easily reached as I expected. It took me nearly a year to promote interest in JSA activities. Most Japanese students on my campus were extremely busy and uninterested in cluttering their schedules any further. Our budget was also quite limited. At the same time, I still wasn’t sure why I was proud of being Japanese. I felt powerless and almost gave up my involvement in the organization.

Then disaster struck in the form of the September 11 terrorist attacks. After this tragic incident, JSA reached a turning point. On my campus, my friends and I, regardless of our ethnicities, were all afraid. No one felt safe or secure. To improve this atmosphere, I considered a way to encourage others and to pull people together. Then I immediately came to a decision to organize a workshop for making paper cranes. Cranes symbolize “peace” among Japanese. More than 170 people participated, and we folded over 1,600 cranes. We eventually tied each crane together and sent the origami cranes to New York. Our cranes flew across the American continent as a symbolic gesture of hope and unity.

JSA quickly became one of the university’s most successful organizations. With the help of the Consulate General of Japan in Seattle, we invited professional Noh and Calligraphy instructors to campus to host a workshop. The radio program “Music Japan” began broadcasting Japanese music over the University’s radio station. JSA members were even invited to attend the Seattle Cherry Blossom Fair, the largest annual Japanese festival in the northwest.

I’ve come a long way since that ALCP party. I have learned a great deal about my Japanese heritage, and I am eager to pass it along. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I took the first step toward doing so by becoming a teaching assistant for Mrs. Ikuyo Suzuki, the primary Japanese instructor at the University of Idaho. Though I enjoy working with students while earning my graduate degree in Educational Technology, I realize that something is missing from my repertoire. To truly teach to the best of my ability, I must gain more knowledge about Japan and equip myself with fundamental theory of teaching Japanese. Accordingly, I hope to pursue a Master’s degree in your graduate program.

Attending the Your University will prepare me to reach my goals. Your program offers a strong Japanese Pedagogy curriculum, yet allows me to take Japanese culture and history classes. Courses that catch my eye include Methods of Teaching Japanese, Japanese Sociolinguistics, and Modern and Contemporary Japanese Thought. In addition, one of my primary interests concerns computer-assisted language learning. Having studied multimedia design, I am well equipped to conduct further research in this area. I hope to explore an advanced Japanese language curriculum with emerging network technology.

Teaching Japanese will complete my transition from an undergraduate student lacking identity to a mature, self-aware adult. I would like to devote all my efforts to help others understand my culture as I have come to understand it. I believe the Your University will be the ideal place to achieve my dream. I thank you for your time and ask for your favorable consideration of my application.