April 8, 2025 by

My Story 

It was the end of my freshman year. I entered Cedarville with a specialty in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL), which I loved with every fiber of my being. My major at the time … well, I loved it a little less. Although I didn’t explicitly dislike my current major, something felt off. My parents then posed a question to me that would shape the rest of my Cedarville experience: You love TESOL, so why not pursue teaching full-time? 

This wasn’t the first time someone had encouraged me to consider teaching as a profession, but it was the first time that I listened. I’d spent so much of my high school experience against the idea of becoming an educator, but guess what? I’m now on the cusp of completing an education degree, and I couldn’t be more excited. 

Students pose for a photo while eating at the Dining Hall.

What is Adolescent Young Adult Language Arts? 

Adolescent Young Adult Language Arts, otherwise known as AYALA, is a major focused on teaching language arts to children in grades 7–12. There are lots of names you’ll hear this major go by, such as AYA English, English education, or language arts education, but know that each of these labels is under the AYALA umbrella.  

While AYALA is technically an education degree, it’s also got a lot of similarities with the English major. As an AYALA major, you’ll learn about the development of the English language, read incredible American and British authors, and be challenged to think more critically and write deeper than you’ve ever done before. Some of the most meaningful lessons I’ve learned during my 1000 Days here at Cedarville are lessons that I learned from my English professors. It truly is a gift to be saturated in this environment.  

Students and faculty mingle about in an event room in the Stevens Student Center.

Why study AYALA? 

There are many reasons why you may be interested in AYALA or should consider majoring in AYALA. If you have an interest in teaching, the Lord may be calling you down this pathway. At Cedarville, we believe that everything we pursue is for the glory of God, and AYALA is no exception.  

AYALA is also a great route if you excel in the literary arts and want to share those strengths with upcoming generations and encourage them to wrestle with hard questions. Maybe you have a love for caring for middle and high school students and you want to use education as a way to connect with them. Maybe you want to connect with other teachers and are interested in sharing the Gospel with them. Perhaps you have a deep love for literature that you want to instill and encourage in others. Maybe you have a passion for positively shaping local schools. Or perhaps you want to do all of these! 

What should I expect if I major in AYALA? 

I won’t lie — AYALA will challenge you academically. You will read lots of books and write more pages than you thought previously possible. You will grow more than you realized you could. The idea of writing 10-page papers no longer sounds impossible to me — my professors trained and prepared me well. I’ve read literature that has challenged my view on the world and encouraged me to ask hard questions. This major will grow you as a person both academically and spiritually.  

As an education-based program, you will accumulate teaching hours in local schools during your time at Cedarville. Before I switched into the program, I didn’t realize how thoroughly Cedarville would prepare me for the classroom. Throughout your time here, you will have field experiences where you go into local schools to observe and teach even before you start your official student teaching. The field experiences you have will improve your confidence in the classroom and will equip you well when you enter your final semester and move on to future roles. 

What do I do with AYALA? 

AYALA is, as I like to call it, a “glorified English major.” Because AYALA majors take so many English-based classes, they are qualified to work in English-related fields outside of education. This means that you could also work in technical writing, editing, publishing, and other forms of professional writing. If you are interested in English-related fields but not sure if you want to teach, I would recommend giving AYALA a try, as an English degree alone will not qualify you to work in education. 

As I mentioned previously, AYALA qualifies you to work with grades 7–12. However, due to the current teacher shortage, AYALA recently got extended all the way down to 5th grade. Because Cedarville is an accredited university, you will be able to use an AYALA degree in any educational format, including public, private, charter, and specialty schools such as STEM or tech-based schools, as long as you have the right licensure. 

AYALA also serves as a great stepping stone into graduate school. After you graduate from the AYALA program, you will be prepared for a master’s or doctoral degree program. The Department of English, Literature, and Modern Language professors here at Cedarville are also great resources to help you pursue avenues of further study.  

What opportunities can I pursue if I major in AYALA? 

AYALA also opens many doors for you to pursue. Since AYALA is an education program, you will have the opportunity to join the Student Education Association (SEA). SEA is a great place to connect with other future educators, get to know the education professors better, and have fun at events!  

You also have the opportunity to study abroad. Although studying abroad is not only provided to AYALA majors, you can fulfill unique requirements for the AYALA major depending on your academic year and what classes are being offered. For example, I’ve had classmates get credit for our Shakespeare class during the summer in England! If you’d like to learn more about Cedarville’s Study Abroad programs, you can do so here. 

If you are interested in long-term opportunities abroad, you can apply to student teach overseas — check out the “Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom” section in Cedarville’s AYALA program page. Studying abroad is a fantastic way to make connections overseas if you are interested in working abroad long-term. Or maybe you’re interested in just going over for an adventurous semester — that’s great, too!  

Specific to AYALA and English majors is the opportunity to be inducted into Cedarville’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, known as Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD). Sigma Tau Delta is a prestigious international honors society that recognizes and honors students who study English. AKD puts on events such as Cedarville’s Foreign Film Series as well as other activities just for members. It also organizes larger activities, such as the famous ELML department-wide Souper Bowl, where students and faculty get together to have some soup and enjoy one another’s company. AKD can even help you get your writing published, and it features a variety of conference opportunities for those passionate about English to enjoy. 

The AYALA major is really the best of both worlds for people who love language and literature and sharing their passion about those things with other people! If that sounds like you, why not pick AYALA as your major? I’ve loved every minute of it, and it just might be the perfect pick for you too! 

Students and faculty pose for a photo.

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