Writing Sample

I landed in Chicago O’Hare international airport from China on August 20 th, 2007. Without
knowing anyone, I started my new life in the city as an international graduate student at DePaul
University. Over the past three years, I gained many achievements. I received my master degree in
communications, founded one of the biggest international student groups on campus and gained a
group of friends who support and love me. However, what I value most is the privilege to live in a
diverse society. I have learned how to bridge different cultures, which has increased my
communication skills and has helped me find my true direction. I struggled through hard
questions. What do I want to do with my life? What will bring happiness to my day-to-day work
life? How can I combine my talent and energy? The answer is being a mandarin teacher.

First, I know what to expect as a mandarin teacher. I worked for DePaul Startalk Chinese
program for over two years. It is a two-month long summer program where we train high school
mandarin teachers and teach high school student mandarin as well. During my time working for
the program I had day-to-day contact with high school students and their teachers. I monitored
classes, prepared teaching materials, tutored students and visited Chinatown with classes. I was so
excited to see our students improve every day. However, my most important achievement was
building friendships with the students. I love each of them and have gained their trust. I know how
happy and fulfilling my life would be as a teacher, educating students and encouraging them to
strive for a bright future.

Second, I have qualifications in being a good educator. I tutored many college students when I
worked at the Modern Languages Department at DePaul University. I am very patient, and can
repeat hundreds of examples to ensure my students can pronounce words correctly. I know how to
motivate my students. I encourage them to use mandarin as much as possible in their daily life. I
can be very creative in developing different ways to introduce Chinese culture to them. Especially,
in comparison to most mandarin teachers who came here without knowing much American
culture, I understand my students and their lives. I am confident to be a good educator.

Third, I see the big picture of teaching mandarin as a career. Everyone knows that mandarin is
the language of the future. Over the past few years, from elementary to universities, educators are
scrambling to add Chinese language programs to their curriculum. "Chinese isn't the new French
— it's the new English," says Robert Davis, director of the Chinese-language program in
Chicago's public school system. This is a great career opportunity for a candidate like me because
of my working experience and unique cultural background.

All in all, my personally philosophy is communication. In order to communicate, I believe you

have to understand the world first. Acquiring the ability to learn another language is the key to
understanding the world. As the world continues to connect, we need creative thinkers who are
bilingual and even trilingual to communicate and work together. I am looking forward to
becoming the person who can contribute to the progression.

Ming Li