It is my sincere hope to be accepted to the Ph.D. Program in Asia Pacific Studies at XXXX University in Taiwan. I am the best fit for your thoroughly interdisciplinary program covering all four Asian Studies tracks central to the research I hope to undertake in the future. I am a diligent student from Thailand who is highly devoted to the cause of Asian unity and prosperity. I am confident that my great passion will inspire me to excel as a graduate student in your program.
As someone from a country still developing economically, I seek to learn from the lessons and examples set by our more successful neighbors in Southeast Asia, those whose economies have grown much more than our own. I realize the extremely competitive nature of your program. Still, I hope to be selected because I have noble ideals for progress and a great passion for Asian affairs and issues, including questions of justice and human rights in Southeast Asia and economic development. I also graduated at the top of my class for my MA in English, with a GPA of 3.96, earning me the “Great Student” award.
I currently live in Bangkok, working as an Assistant Overseas Sales Manager. My duties include the management of a duty-free shop in Myanmar, just on the other side of the border. I do not work in Myanmar; however, since I can work from my home in Thailand, my position has dramatically increased my interest in the country, especially because of the issue of human rights abuses, which I see as a stain on the whole of Southeast Asia. However, I traveled abroad with my boss to go to Guangzhou, China, for ten days for the Canton Fair in 2017. We also went to Taipei, Taiwan, for ten days last year. I fell in love with everything that I saw around me and would treasure the privilege of studying and learning in this exciting environment.
I have seen much of the world working in international sales, and this will provide me with unique experiences to share with my colleagues in Asian Studies. For example, I have been to South Africa on a tour of our wine suppliers for 15 days, spent 20 days in Europe visiting beer companies and other suppliers, and spent five days in Barcelona, Spain, visiting a sangria company. I spent another ten days in Italy sourcing fashion and luxury products for my boss, and, closer to home, I have also been to Hong Kong to visit our suppliers for perfumes and cosmetics.
I have had a chance to get to know various developed countries and cultures, and Taiwan is the one that most excites me. My hopes are high, so I have been making great strides in improving my Mandarin. I see Taiwan as the flagship nation for our most significant economic and cultural powerhouse, the Chinese people. In 2017, I went to 12 countries in Europe and Asia in only one year. I enjoyed seeing everything abroad for myself, constantly learning new things, and adapting to new cultures and ways of life. I found Taipei’s people among the most friendly, hospitable, and engaging people in the world. I want to explore Taiwan in-depth and study multiculturalism and multilingualism. Most of all, I want to closely examine the history of Taiwan’s economic growth and how it became the seventh largest economy in all of Asia in such a brief period.
I started teaching English in my second year of the university as a part-time job to pay the tuition fee for the university because I did not want to ask for money from my father. My parents have been divorced since I was nine, and all responsibilities in raising me fell on my father. Every weekend I would teach English from 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday and Sunday, for three years in a row until I graduated. I was usually invited to teach in public schools where 200 - 500 students were in a class – a significant challenge. Most public schools hire English tutors who work as freelancers preparing students for university admission examinations; I was also chosen to be one of those tutors.
After finishing my undergraduate studies, I went to Bangkok to work as an English tour guide for one year, then moved back to Pitas unlock to teach English and save money for my master's studies. I continued teaching for several years until, in 2014, I followed a new path in Bangkok, accepting a position as a news anchor – opening my eyes to the world around me. I continued to teach on weekends in Bangkok until 2015, when I applied for and was awarded a full scholarship from the Graduate School of Language and Communication (GSLC) to earn my MA in English for Professional Development, providing me with opportunities to travel outside my country for the first time in my life.
There is a critical shortage of qualified teachers and professors in Thailand – especially those with international educations. My country needs hardworking people like me who are eager to learn from our global partners so that we have tools and opportunities to advance ourselves, as has Taiwan, which is prosperous, and developing rapidly in every way as a leader in the community of nations.
I thank you for your consideration.
PHD Asia Pacific Studies Personal Purpose Statement