2012 JET Application

   Well, my application for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has long been turned in, and now I am playing the waiting game until I hear back about whether or not I have been selected to interview. Notification will be by early February, so any day now. Applications are processed on a first-come first-served basis, and I sent my application in on the first day, so that is on my side. JET kept delaying the release of the application, so I was able to gather all the necessary components in the meantime based on last year's application. 

   However, I read that if you miss a single signature, your application will be thrown out. I am a detail-oriented person, but everyone makes mistakes, especially on an application that is very long. I am so anxious to find out; the tension is killing me! 
   Since applications are closed, I will post my Statement of Purpose here:
   Dream, plan, achieve. This axiom is vibrantly printed on the front of every student’s planner at the middle school where I work. It is a phrase that I hope to follow in becoming a JET ALT, and a message of self-efficacy that I hope to instill in Japanese students.
   My dream of being accepted into the JET Program and my interest in Japan are in part due to my Japanese heritage. My great grandmother emigrated from Yokohama, Japan to the United States in the 1950’s. Though she has passed on, some Japanese culture has persisted in my life. I inherited my great-grandmother’s Go game, complete with hand-written numbers. I have an interest in Japanese cuisine, and I have learned to make kampyo sushi, my great grandmother’s favorite. The opportunities to travel, advance my Japanese language ability, and participate in cultural exchange through community relationships would be indispensable.
   As soon as I heard about JET, I took every possible step to plan. I requested nearly every book about Japan from the library and read the JET journals. I connected with program alumni from Minnesota, reached out to contacts in Japan, and made new ones through friends and family. I enrolled in a Japanese language course through community education and used workbooks and software for self-teaching. I became a member of The Japan America Society of Minnesota and participated in their speaking groups. Through my efforts to learn Japanese, I have gained a tremendous amount of empathy and respect for every language learner’s bravery and persistence.
   My education has prepared me for a position as an ALT. My alma-mater, Macalester College, greatly contributed to my interest in global cultures, and I completed the internationalism and multiculturalism graduation requirements. I have been trained by the Minnesota Literacy Council as a certified tutor to help children and adults build English language skills. Additionally, by May 2012 I will have a TEFL certification from Hamline University with over 100 hours of instruction and over 40 hours of classroom experience.
   Working with youth is a passion that has taken my life in many directions. I provided environmental education at public wildflower garden, was a reading buddy for and tutor for English-learners at a library, and was an event assistant at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. These experiences have cultivated important professional characteristics including integrity, responsibility, and flexibility. I have learned when working with youth, a positive, enthusiastic attitude and patience are the most essential characteristics. Similarly, these characteristics will assist me in adapting to life in Japan.
   I am currently completing a second term of national service as an AmeriCorps member, teaching math at a middle school. A central component of the AmeriCorps program is community service, and I took an active role in my community serving over 200 hours through coaching soccer and basketball and volunteering with various Twin Cities non-profit organizations. Transitioning from national service to international service would help me thread together civic engagement on local, national, and international levels.
   The JET program aligns with my personal and professional goals and my education and employment have prepared me for a position as an ALT. In the spirit of Japanese gift-giving, I want to give back to Japan much more than this opportunity will give me. I want to share my own culture, finding similarities with those in my community and celebrating our differences. I hope to spread a positive outlook about what foreigners, particularly Americans, can be, and to encourage international travel and cultural exchange in my community. Now, all that’s left for me is to Achieve.