In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can effectively demonstrate your interest in disability rights and your commitment to education in your special education and personal statement.
Write about your academic experiences and impressions
It’s fun to work together to improve your grades instead of working alone
I didn’t think of raising grades as a competition, because the moment I perceived it as a competition, I felt a lot of stress, and because of that stress, I didn’t raise my grades as much as I thought I should. So I tried to think of studying as a student as a “collaboration” rather than a “competition.” I thought that studying as a student is something I do for my future dreams and to have the basic education and values that a member of society should have. So I preferred to study together rather than study alone. I organized a study group and studied with like-minded friends. We would discuss what we didn’t understand, and we would encourage each other to do the targeted amount of studying, and we would get good results by studying together and raising each other’s grades. My study style is more of a verbal and memorization style, and I think studying with my friends helped me a lot because I was able to add to what they were saying, and I was able to teach them things that they didn’t know, so they could memorize it again. By finding a study style that suits me, I was able to improve my grades, and I think I was able to enjoy and have fun studying without much pressure because I realized that raising grades and studying is a collaboration rather than a competition. My friends are also people who have the same style of studying as me, so I think we were able to have a more synergistic effect. And while studying together, we not only improved our grades, but we also gained a sense of cooperation, empathy, and communication skills. Because we were studying while speaking, we were able to experience directly or indirectly how to speak, how to understand the problem, how to grasp the core content of what we are saying, etc. and I think I will be able to better utilize these study methods in my university life.
Write about your main school activities and impressions
Volunteering to care for the elderly with dementia
As a high school student, one of the things I had to do was volunteer, but I wanted to do something meaningful rather than just to earn points for my school, so I signed up to volunteer for the elderly with dementia. At first, I was a little scared to approach the elderly with dementia, because I was worried about how to approach them, how to talk to them, and how to be polite and not hurt their feelings. But then one of the volunteers said to me, “You’re the same person, you’re just a little uncomfortable,” and that made me think, “Maybe I’m trying to treat them a little differently, a little more sympathetically, and that’s the kind of ‘discrimination’ that can be more hurtful.” So I treated the elderly with dementia the way I would treat my own grandmother and grandfather, helping them move around and being a companion. As I talked with them sincerely and tried to help them with their discomfort, I could see that they recognized me well. Through this activity, I realized the value of volunteering, and I continue to visit the institution once a month on a regular basis. I would like to continue my volunteer work as I am doing now, realize the value of sharing, and lead more sharing activities during my university life and social life.
Theater Club Activities
I love watching drama and movies, so I chose theater club as a club in high school, and we performed plays at festivals, where we received scenarios and practiced acting, and I was able to develop a sense of cooperation with my friends as we camped and set up the stage for the play. I also found it very interesting and fun to live a different life by focusing on acting, thinking about other characters and immersing myself in the scenario, and I think that through such acting practice, I was able to gain deeper communication skills by trying to understand and empathize with other people’s feelings rather than thinking only about myself. Like acting, I was able to think about other people’s feelings in front of me, and I was able to have conversations and communications that I could empathize with other people rather than sticking to my own position. So I think that through the theater club, I was able to develop my own empathy and communication skills, not just the fun of making up plays. Through the theater club, I was able to gain a sense of cooperation, empathy, and communication skills, and furthermore, I was able to gain confidence in myself when I was on stage. Just being on stage and performing in front of a large group of people was a great experience for me, and it confirmed my confidence and passion.
Caring, Sharing, and Collaborating Stories and Lessons Learned
Having my tuition money stolen
When I was a freshman in high school, I was the secretary of my class. We needed money for various activities in the class, and the money was collected by the students and used as a fund. I was in charge of managing the money, and it was stolen. I was going to go to an exhibition with my classmates, and we had to spend money to go to the exhibition, so I took the money with me. Without thinking, I put the money in an envelope and put it in my bag that I wear on my side, and when I was riding the subway with the bag open, it was stolen. My friends and I were very embarrassed at first, and I, who was the treasurer, was really scratching my head. I should have been more careful about where I kept my money, and I should have been more careful about carrying it around like this, but I got caught up in talking to my friends and didn’t take care of it. After a while, I realized that I was the treasurer, and I told my friends and the teacher that I would be responsible for the money. It was my fault, so I felt it was only right that I take responsibility, and I also didn’t lie about losing the money and told my classmates all about it. Because I was honest and showed an attitude of taking responsibility, my friends said, “Don’t try to blame it on yourself, we should have been concerned about that money too, but you were careless. They said, “Don’t take so much responsibility for yourself, we should have taken care of that money, but we were careless.” In the end, we decided to check the total amount of money that was lost, figure out what events were left after that day, cover some more money, and then make up the rest of the shortfall at the festival. The idea was to hold a flea market at the festival and make money to cover the stolen money. So we organized a flea market at the festival, sold the items my friends had prepared, and collected more money than the stolen money, which we used for class fees. Through this experience, I realized the meaning of “responsibility,” cooperation, and consideration, and I also learned that honesty is the starting point for solving any problem.
Motivation – Efforts and preparation related to career planning
Special education to practice humanity
I applied because I wanted to pursue special education among education. During my high school life, I had established the value of practicing “humanity” through volunteer activities such as caring for the elderly with dementia and sharing talents with children with disabilities, and I decided that special education would allow me to practice humanity in a more meaningful way. I believe that the value of education is crucial to making a difference so that people with disabilities, who are classified as marginalized groups in society, can be given the opportunity to develop their abilities and secure their human rights without being discriminated against. In order to increase the power of people with disabilities to secure employment and human rights, we need to increase the value of their education and show them that they have the same abilities as other people. Therefore, the value of special education is very meaningful, and in order to implement it, it will be important to study properly and develop professional abilities in special education. As a student of special education at Catholic University, I would like to be educated in subjects such as special education and rehabilitation with the goal of practicing humanity, so that I can fully carry out my education and develop professional abilities so that I can fully lead the abilities of people with disabilities who are marginalized in society. My ultimate goal is not special education for people with disabilities, but social change through human rights and employment development for people with disabilities. Therefore, I will strive to deepen my abilities in the special education department and gain various experiences to create the power to change society. In particular, I will actively seek out and experience the education of people with disabilities through various external activities and clubs. I will become a student of special education who is smart and excellent in both study and experience. In addition, if possible, I will pursue graduate studies to further expand my knowledge and expertise in the field of special education and to dig deeper into society.
