Personal Statement

Hello, my name is Soraya! I have been in the academic world for almost my whole life, and have a true appreciation for education, teaching, and learning. I also have an avid interest in health, fitness, and nutrition, which is the direction I initially took when embarking on my graduate and post-graduate studies. Although I've lived most of my life in Southern California, I actually grew up in the Middle East. My early childhood was spent in Iran, and this is most likely where my love for learning developed. My mother is a teacher, and I would often sit and watch while she taught students from home. Later on, when we moved to California, I would sometimes help her develop lesson plans and grade papers. Her sincere love and passion for teaching grew on me, and my entire upbringing centered on this appreciation for learning and thinking, for asking questions and running experiments. After high school, I moved to London, England, to pursue a degree in Human Nutrition. I then later returned to England again to pursue a Master's in Food and Health Policy. Academia is particularly rigorous in the UK, and the academic in me thoroughly enjoyed the high expectations and strict grading standards imposed by the education system there. However, I am well aware that this love for learning and academics is not inherent in everyone! That is why my methods center so much on the process of learning, and the implication of the information that is being taught. Oftentimes students don't see the relevance of their assignments, and become frustrated and bored by tedious busy work or poorly structured lessons. I completely understand! And that's where I can help. I don't want to just slog through homework assignments for the sake of getting it done. I want there to be some enjoyment along the way, some insight gained, some `a-ha` moments, or at the very least some laughs!

Soraya M. Subjects

English