I decided on pursuing a career in physical education having spent several years in ESL education and realizing that whilst I loved teaching, language was not my preferred area. I missed being active and constantly working inside, so moving into physical education seemed a natural fit. My hobbies have always revolved around sport, and my background in playing a wide range of sports gives me a great base to teach them. The University of Texas at Austin offers a masters plus course, where I can gain my masters degree and also my teaching license simultaneously. This was the perfect fit for me to deepen my academic knowledge while getting a professional qualification. 

Being an international student is very rewarding, but also has significant challenges. I relish being in new communities, learning new cultures, and widening my horizons. The diverse community of students that attend UT Austin makes it very exciting place to live, study and teach. Alongside my academic work, I also get to meet new undergraduates through tutoring them and advising them on adaptions to college life. I also participate in UT recreational sports playing ultimate Frisbee. These activities let me get to know people from outside of my department and hear people’s stories from all over the world. Living in America on a student visa does present challenges in restrictions to work that I can do to support myself and higher rates of fees. The scholarship from the Honor Society will really help to cover my living costs, and may even make me eligible to pay resident tuition. This would greatly reduce the financial burden of college, decrease my stress, and allow me to focus on studying. 

I hope that through the rest of my studies I will be able to help create physical education content and teaching methods that can assist educators in working through the current pandemic. Teaching physical education while ensuring that we do everything possible to restrict the spread of the disease is very important. Higher education is needed to come up with solutions to these problems and communicate ideas to the teaching community. I am excited for the upcoming academic year as we develop ways to ensure education can continue in a safe manner.