Written by Kathryn Ross
Cynthia Eden has had a rich and varied career as an educator since finishing her Field-Based M.A. in TESOL from APU in 2001. Her work has had her moving around the world wherever the Lord calls her, currently stationing her as the ELP Lead Instructor at the University of Guelph in Canada, where she’s from. Eden is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), with her degree expected in the spring of 2025.
Before returning to Canada, APU and ELIC allowed Eden to work in the U.S. as well as in China and Vietnam, teaching and developing curriculum. “I wanted to develop my teaching and academic expertise in language acquisition,” says Eden. “The collaboration between APU and ELIC provided me with the financial means to study — I am forever grateful for this gift!”
As a result of her studies and extensive work, Eden has earned many certifications and awards, headlined various presentations, and has even had a recent publication. In 2018 alone, she earned the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE) Award, presented in the Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference, and published a Teacher Training Program with Teaching English for Academic Purposes (TEAP). “By providing me with the theoretical and applied knowledge to become a well-ground EFL/ESL/EAP,” notes Eden, “APU has helped me succeed in my career.”
Another positive of APU’s unique program is that it allowed Eden to move around during her years of study, working abroad while in school and beyond: “I have worked at post-secondary institutions teaching English for Academics throughout my career. My early years were spent in Asia, and my middle years have found me working in Canada…In the last seven years, I have done research in Biofeedback and stress management education and its impact on learner stress, Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), and instruction modality impact on learner success.”
Eden’s work is also channeled into her volunteerism: “I offer my services as a pro-bono education consultant to an NGO with projects that are advancing Higher Education mandates and initiatives in the DPRK.” In addition, Eden also volunteers with a local organization supporting people living with cancer and is active in her church community. “Volunteering has been a part of my life since childhood,” she says. “Guess you could say it is a way of life.”
As Eden continues her journey through academia and as an educator, she’s been able to pick up some advice applicable to herself as well as future and current students: “Be loving, patient, kind, and gracious to yourself,” she says. “In being so, you can more authentically love and consistently extend love, patience, kindness, and grace to professors, classmates, strangers, and enemies. Also, be open to who Abba is calling you to be and where he is asking you to be.”
Though it will be a few more years before she finishes her Ph.D., Eden knows she is where she’s supposed to be. “As I was discussing relevant issues with a few of my students during a break,” she recalls, “a sense of knowing came upon me and in my head I heard ‘this is your place.’”
When following Christ, knowing who you are, what your calling is, and where you’re meant to be will come naturally, and Eden can attest to that.
