As Long As There Is a Need by Casey

As Long As There Is a Need by Casey - March 2020 Scholarship Essay

In today’s marketplace, English is the language that connects people worldwide, allowing them to communicate. It is quickly on the rise of becoming the most spoken language in the entire world, with millions of people learning how to speak it. Thus, without surprise, it is a valuable skill to possess, and that is why I want to teach it to underprivileged students in foreign countries.

After I graduate from high school, I am planning on majoring in Cross-Cultural ministry and earning my minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Through taking and studying these courses, I will become well equipped in working with and teaching students in other countries English. However, I do not want to communicate with the students through a screen, hundreds of thousands of miles away. I want to be there in person, hands-on.

Once I obtain my degrees, I will then begin the process of moving overseas and teaching English there. Although this can be a profitable career, that is not my mindset. I hope to immediately begin work with students living in low-income areas or orphanages, ministering to them. I have had experience interacting with these types of students while on mission trips to Portugal the past few summers, and I have developed a soft spot for them. Students like these are hurting as they feel worthless and alone. Because of their circumstances, they rarely receive proper education and love that they desire and deserve. Learning English will open up many new doors for them, opportunities they would never get otherwise. I hope that, by learning to speak and understand English, they will become equipped and will be able to provide a better future for themselves.

Whether it is teaching in a school or tutoring in the evenings and weekends, whatever it is, I want to change the lives of these students. I want to bring them value and hope. My ten-year career goal is to teach English on the other side of the globe. Furthermore, I plan to stay there as long as there is a need. I realize that this is not an easy mission. However, this is my dream, and I will do whatever it takes to make it possible.