kdavid

[CSC SCHOLARSHIP STUDY PLAN]

Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist. It is just like roads across the earth. For
actually the earth had no roads to begin with, but when many people pass one way, a road is made.
--
-- Lu Xun, My Old Home
History says, Dont hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime the longed for tidal wave of
justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme.
-- Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and writer, The Cure at Troy
History is moving, and it will tend toward hope, or tend toward tragedy.
-- George W. Bush, U.S. President, 2000 2008

In todays global society, cultural misunderstandings and ignorance cannot be tolerated. For so
long, the world has revolved around the West, catering to its culture and way of life, but this is now
beginning to change. It is very possible that with Chinas rise we are experiencing a turning point
aptly summarized by a Chinese saying: . China, indeed, will play a leading
role in shaping the future of our global society. As such, it is imperative that more westerners,
particularly Americans, learn about one of the Earths greatest ancient and modern civilizations.
Upon graduating from the University of Florida Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors of
Arts in English Literature and a minor in History, I endeavored to travel the world and learn about
other cultures and their histories. In doing so, I have planned to one day return to America and
teach others about these cultures. Hopefully, by learning about how other people live, their
languages and customs, we can avoid cultural misunderstandings which could lead to conflict.
I began my journey abroad immediately after graduating from university in 2005. I first
traveled to Barcelona, Spain, where I studied an intensive 120-hour TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) certification course. Upon completing the course, I moved to Prague,
Czech Republic, where I taught English for one year. Upon completion of my one-year contract, I
worked a summer camp for the Global Young Leaders Conference. As a Faculty Advisor, I
chaperoned a group of 24 high school students from all over the world throughout Central Europe,
visiting Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and The Czech Republic.
Throughout my time in Europe I had a wealth of experiences which greatly broadened my
horizons and enriched my understanding of the world. It was through these experiences that I
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kdavid

[CSC SCHOLARSHIP STUDY PLAN]

came to realize that while Europe is a different culture from that of Americas, the difference is not
so great that the two cultures often have difficulty understanding one and other. Upon returning to
America in the summer of 2006, I decided to turn my sights to a country and culture which I felt
needed more understanding and attention: China.
In August 2006 I arrived in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. I once more took up a post as an
English teacher, this time with Harbins largest employer of foreign teachers, California Sunshine
International Language Center (Harbin). Teaching English to Chinese students has given me the
opportunity to not only make learning fun and educational for children and adults alike, but also
the opportunity to serve as a cultural ambassador for the West, namely America. As a teacher, Ive
had the opportunity to share my own culture while learning about a new one. I am currently still
employed with California Sunshine as one of two Lead Teachers who assist the Director of Studies
in overseeing the management and on-going training of over 20 foreign teachers.
In addition to teaching, one of my main objectives for coming to China was to become
proficient in Mandarin. Immediately upon arrival, I fervently began learning the language. I am
now completely fluent in Mandarin Chinese. In November 2010, I passed the HSK ()
with a level 7, scoring 7s in the and sections, and 8s in and . I have also begun
teaching myself Japanese and Russian.
Another endeavor I took on not long after arrival in Harbin was the founding of a TESOL
Institute. In late 2006, my business partner and I opened up the Will-Excel TESOL Institute
(http://www.WillExcelTESOL.com), which offers an intensive, 160-hour TESOL certification
course to new English language teachers. My school currently trains approximately 100 new
teachers each year. These teachers go on to teach all over China and the world.
I also have two part-time jobs: I am a freelance writer for The World of Chinese, a
Commercial Press magazine based out of Beijing, and a volunteer Chinese-English translator for a
widely-read China blog. Both of these positions have allowed me to further cultivate my already
excellent language skills, hone my writing skills, and develop a greater appreciation for Chinese
language and culture.
Since I arrived in China in 2006, I have developed a deep affinity with Chinas language,
culture and people. Not only is China where I work, study and live, but China has become my home.
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[CSC SCHOLARSHIP STUDY PLAN]

I married my wife, a native of Heilongjiang, in 2008. We welcomed the birth of our first child in
August 2009.
While my long-term goal is to eventually move back to America to pursue a PhD, and then
to become a university professor, I still feel that China has a lot to teach me. Being awarded the
CSC scholarship will be a huge step toward achieving my dream of studying at a Chinese university
and continuing to learn about one of the richest civilizations with which our planet has ever been
graced.
When studying my undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, I elected to follow an
honors track. As part of this track, I attended honors seminars and wrote a 30-page honors thesis.
My thesis was so highly regarded amongst my professors that I was awarded the distinction of
graduating Summa Cum Laude, the highest honors one can graduate with at any American
university. The process of writing the thesis gave me invaluable research and writing experience,
all of which I can apply to my MA studies here in China.
Recently, I have been devoting all of my free time to learning as much as I can about Chinas
history and philosophy. While I have completed several survey courses touching on the main
events, culture and society of Chinas ancient history, I have focused mostly on its modern and
contemporary history and philosophies, from the Qing dynasty to the present. My primary
research interests include the late Qing, the May Fourth movement, the post-Mao era, modern
economic history, the Culture Fever of the 80s, and the whole of Chinas intellectual history, in
particular from the period of the influx of western ideas in the late 19th and 20th centuries to
present, and how Chinese have dealt with new (western) philosophies.
I am an excellent candidate for the CSC scholarship as I am already proficient in the
Mandarin language. I am self-disciplined and highly motivated to achieve my goals. I have very
high expectations of myself and do not accept failure. I know that I can positively represent
American thought, culture and scholasticism in China. I also know that upon returning to America
to become a university professor, that I can positively represent China as a graduate of its higher
education system.

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