Personal Statement
Welcome to my graduation portfolio, an online representation of who I am as a person and as a student. Before moving on to review my academic background and experience, please allow me to explain to you what makes me, me.
My name is Shelby Nicole Lydon and I have been a student at California State University Monterey Bay since August of 2010, and will graduate in May of 2015. At CSU Monterey Bay, I am a major in Japanese Language and Culture with a minor in Visual and Public Arts (VPA). I did not come to this school unaware of what I wanted to do, in fact it was quite the opposite. I had a plan, and in order to explain that plan, I have to go back. As early as elementary school, I can remember wanting to attend college; but what elementary school student knows what they want to do for the rest of their life? It was in junior high school that I realized what that was: Japanese. Like most people, I feel in love with Japanese through anime and manga; however, it was not the entertainment business that held my attention, but the language, the culture, and the people who live it each and every day. It was my dream to experience this, to live in that world even if it was temporary. So, I did. It has been seven years since I began learning Japanese, and it all started at my high school in Roseville California. Once I graduated, CSU Monterey Bay became the only university that I wanted to attend because I had learned on my own and through others about it's language program, specifically Japanese. I dove into the language program, taking class after class learning not only the language, but the culture as well. Taking classes like Service Learning and having the opportunity to take classes in Japanese really provided me with opportunities that I would not have had elsewhere. My desire grew with my knowledge and I felt the challenge of learning such a difficult language something that only fueled me to continue pressing forward. It has brought me to where I am today. -Shelby Lydon |