Peace Corps Fellows program at MU promotes cultural immersion
The university provides incentives to participate in the program.
Published Sept. 16, 2008
Peace Corps campus recruiter Tony White is offering information for postgraduate students who want to join the Peace Corps.
As a government aid organization first conceived in 1960 by then Sen. John Kennedy, the Peace Corps accepts graduate students interested in volunteering two years of service in host countries, according to the organization's Web site.
Volunteers must be 18 years old, U.S. citizens and in good health to apply, according to the Web site. White said the host countries, mostly in Africa and South America, request volunteers and the corps sends them according to request.
Three months of training and 24 months of overseas service in the Peace Corps designates a postgraduate student as an Admitted Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, which allows him or her to apply for certain internships and stipends for postgraduate study.
MU offers internships, employment opportunities and financial aid for postgraduate studies for Peace Corps volunteers through its Peace Corps Fellows program.
The corps is very selective of its volunteers, White said. The organization's training manual for campus recruiters stated 36 percent of total applicants made it to their host countries last year.
White said the application process for postgraduate students considering the Peace Corps begins nine to 12 months before they leave.
He said the organization is not as much concerned with an applicant's degree, though certain emphases would gain more attention including certified teachers, French speakers and people with agriculture experience.
MU postgraduate student Jennifer Keller traveled to Mali in western Africa to work in agriculture for the Peace Corps before joining the Peace Corps Fellows program at MU. She said the work she did on her volunteer projects was fulfilling; she most appreciated the organization's emphasis on cultural immersion.
"The goal of this program is cultural experience and cultural exchange," Keller said. "That's where you get your memorable experiences, like going to a local wedding or cooking a meal with your host mother."
One of the biggest challenges, White said, of his own volunteer experience in Armenia was having patience in achieving results with his work.
"It's a little difficult to judge success in the Peace Corps with the things we use as indicators of success here," White said. "I spent a lot of time my first year drinking coffee with the mayor, tea with old ladies, vodka shots with the school director and hanging out with shopkeepers."
Keller said connecting with the people living in her host village was also a personal accomplishment.
"I didn't know what to expect entirely when I went there," Keller said. "For me, successes were being able to speak the language with the women in my village."
White said freshmen and sophomores interested in the program after graduation should start thinking about class selection, volunteer experience and student organizations.
White will hold his first meeting for potential applicants Sept. 23 in the Student Success Center.