Personal Statement


My varied experiences have helped me develop as a student, an educator, a citizen, and a creator. Many of these experiences have taken place outside of Canada, many were of an academic nature, some were undertaken voluntarily, and others were self-initiated. More importantly, these experiences have shown me that no accomplishment - despite this word's connotations - is ever complete: accomplishments are contigent on circumstance and open to change. My experiences include:

  • membership for 4 years in university student associations and community associations focused on culture and youth advocacy
  • completion of a 4-year Bachelor of Education degree with a major in English
  • participating in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, a governmentally-sponsored project in which I co-taught for 3 years with Japanese teachers of English
  • membership for 6 years as the Newsletter Co-ordinator, then President of the JET (Programme) Alumni Association (Manitoba-Saskatchewan Chapter), a volunteer organisation affiliated with the JET Programme
  • starting and maintaining, for 8 years, a home-based business designing and making men's and women's wear
  • teaching, for 7 years, English-as-a-Second Language to international students through the Continuing Education Divisions of the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba
  • teaching Japanese for 6 years through the Continuing Education Divisions of the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba
  • participating in "Kusina: New Works from Old Friends", a collective art exhibit in which a sampling of my clothing designs was exhibited
  • tutoring and teaching academic writing at the Writing and Learning Centre and through the Faculty of Liberal Studies, Ontario College of Art & Design where students are encouraged to be self-directed, self-initiating, and independent
  • volunteering as a researcher for "Inside Out", a film festival group devoted to showcasing the talents of the queer community
  • volunteering as "Community Outreach Co-ordinator" for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, which promotes the visual arts to youth within the Toronto District School Board
  • volunteering for "Out of the Cold", a shelter project sponsored by a  multi-denominational association that provides food and overnight accomodation during the 21 coldest weeks of the year
  • volunteer teaching for The International Student Centre, University of Toronto, where I currently teach an academic writing course for students of various cultural and academic backgrounds
  • completing a master degree in Adult Education through St. Francis Xavier University


Self-reflection reveals consistent participation in volunteer service or teaching. Both activities are related in that knowledge and learning are acquired and then shared. Skills acquired from both activities evolve to re-define what effective teaching and volunteer service mean to me. In the field of adult education, I am interested in self-directed learning whose focus is on self-improvement, enlightenment, and social change. Despite its established status within the field of adult education, it is an area that remains underexplored. In my future as both student and educator, I intend to further investigate and practise the methodologies of self-directed learning, which may result in doctoral studies.


For more information about the preceding list of activities, please click on the various links to the right.










© 2006-2009 Thomas Robles. All rights reserved.
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