In just five years, UTSC alum and teaching assistant Adam Liu went from hiding in the corner of tutorials to applying to prestigious American PhD programs.
An international student from China who majored in political science, Liu gives a lot of credit for this transformation to the English Language Development (ELD) program offered by UTSC’s Centre for Teaching and Learning.
ELD helps all students, particularly ESL, first-generation and immigrant students, improve their academic performance, build self-confidence, overcome cultural and language barriers, and better integrate into the greater UTSC community. Like many of the other participants, Liu developed writing and presentation skills through workshops, seminars and interactive games created by program coordinator Dr. Elaine Khoo and her ELD team of instructors.
But Liu says the benefits of ELD extended far beyond improving his language and communication abilities. He says it is a life-changing kind of program.
“I see ELD as a kind of entry-point into my real university life,” says Liu. “ELD was a door leading to many more doors of opportunity.”
He also says the program led to a shift in his personality. Liu describes himself as “a little shy” before ELD and never imagined becoming a TA or presenting at conferences like U of T’s Teaching and Learning Symposium in 2007 and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s annual conference in 2008. He says the program also influenced the way he leads tutorials.
“How to make students feel comfortable at the beginning of class, how to generate questions, how to get students involved and engaged throughout the 50 minutes… there are a lot of strategies I’m still using and benefitting from.” Not long after starting the program, Liu went on to complete a co-op term with Human Resources and Social Development Canada in Ottawa, where he used many of his ELD-developed skills during work presentations.
Liu recently finished a Master’s degree in Political Science at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and has applied to several PhD programs in the U.S. after scoring in the 97th percentile on the GRE.
He has already received a full, five-year scholarship to Stanford University in California and is waiting to hear from other Ivy League schools before he makes his final decision.
ELD lecturer Heather-Lynne Meacock says Adam put a lot of effort into his transformation. “He volunteered for everything, actively watched how people were presenting and really was willing to take up all the opportunities.”
Dr. Khoo says Adam’s story of overcoming the odds now inspires others to do the same. “Many students have referred to Adam as the icon of ELD success, a model that they too could follow.”