Statement of PurposeGrowing up as the child of an Army officer, I found myself picked up and dropped in new cultures periodically throughout my young life. And though I was only moving from state-to-state within the United States, I know that this fostered a desire to understand and be a part of other cultures within me. My parents — who have both studied multiple languages themselves — further fostered this desire, encouraging me to engage with the wider world at every turn. After taking Spanish in third grade and picking up words and phrases in four other languages from my parents, I knew that studying language was what I wanted to do with my life. Originally, this goal pointed me towards the study of French, which I became fairly fluent in during my time in high school. However, once I got deeper into my studies, I started to become dissatisfied. French culture was too similar to American, in many ways, and I wanted something more. African cultures were a major draw during this time, but I ultimately gravitated towards Asia due to my involvement in various martial arts from a young age. The most recent martial art I had undertaken was karate, and that is what led me to begin my investigations into Japan and Japanese culture. My father further encouraged me in this, as he had studied some Japanese in college and felt that I would enjoy it. Soon, I was pursuing a deeper education in Japanese as I entered CSUMB. I’ve taken Japanese language and culture courses almost exclusively since 2011, and I have learned to appreciate the nuances of both through my studies and my study abroad experience at Chuo University in 2014. Today, I continue with my studies and plan to use them in the near future as I apply to teach in Japan. When I return, I hope to apply what I’ve learned from that experience to a lifelong teaching career. And though I will not pursue a path that specifically incorporates Japanese language and culture, I know that my experiences with it will help me broaden my students’ horizons, and reflect on more global perspectives.
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WelcomeMy name is Jessica Negin, and this is my e-portfolio. I am currently a sixth year senior at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) studying Japanese Language and Culture. Here you can find my Statement of Purpose and Resume. In the other tabs, you can find my work at CSUMB, my study abroad experience, and other relevant information about my time studying Japanese.
Resume |
Here I have linked my Individual Learning Plan.
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