It is my pleasure to spotlight current LTS student Krystal Lyau (2017-18).
Krystal on the California Coast.
Hi Krystal! Please tell the world a little bit about yourself:
I’m from Taiwan. This is my second year in the LTS program. I love fantasy. I can do nothing but finish a fantasy novel or a whole season of fantasy TV series in a day. I think that studying abroad is a fantastic and surreal experience too. We are so far from the world we are familiar with, and every day is such an adventure. It is like being granted another kind of life. For the first six months here, I always had this feeling that I was not sure which life was real, the one that I had left behind or the one I was experiencing at the moment. It is definitely a really scary but also exciting journey, like all the novels I have read.
You’ve been in the program for a year and a half right…How has your experience been? Any particular highlights? What are some key things you’ve learned in your time here?
I’m really grateful that I decided to be in this program. As an international student, the first half year here was the hardest. Not only did we have to keep up with the schoolwork like everyone else did, we also struggled a lot with the language, getting used to the academic environment here and overcoming other culture shock in general. However, the LTS program really made all these things much easier for us. The faculty and cohort have always been really supportive, sympathetic, and tolerant. I think the most important thing I have learned is to be critical but also open-minded about everything. Being in an environment with such a diverse culture and varied perspectives really broadens my horizons. It gives me an opportunity to think differently, and be more creative and liberal.
And I know you were involved with the Chinese Club last term. What was that like?
Krystal in front of Edison elementary school.
It was a brand new experience for me since I have only dealt with high school students before. How to interact with students, to manage the class, to design a lesson is totally different from what I was used to. Last term was especially more challenging than ever, with such a diverse level class, including native speakers, heritage speakers, and novice L2 learners. Classroom management was quite demanding as well because of some students’ lack of learning motivation. Despite all the difficulties, I’m glad that we tried some new things to cope with the problems, like separating the heritage speakers and L2 learners, differentiating the materials, and developing some classroom management routines. It was really rewarding to see that we had finally made some progress.
Krystal teaching students Chinese at Edison elementary school.
Are you excited to start working on your M.A. project?
Yes, it is definitely both exciting and dreadful. I can’t believe I have made it so far and things are getting real now. For my project, I really want to develop something that incorporates what I have learned and experienced as a learner and language teacher in this program. I hope it will be practical and creative. This is like the last chapter of my journey. It is undoubtedly going to be the most challenging part of the story, but I believe it will be worth reading.
Krystal presenting her writing course for LT 548 Curriculum and Materials Development.
Any final thoughts?
I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to be here, thanks to all the support from my family, the faculty and cohort in this program, and my friends. I couldn’t make it by myself. The finish line is in sight. Good luck to all of us.
Krystal enjoying a moment of relaxation.
Thanks so much for taking the time for this interview! Hope you have a great spring term and finale to the program.