Beyond borders: Inside the Peace Corps' world of connection and commitment
6 minutes
At the heart of the Peace Corps lies the spirit of service, fulfilling the needs of a community for the greater good. But, for Peace Corps volunteers, the real value is in the connections they make. The three goals of the Peace Corps are founded upon these core tenets: promoting the global exchange of ideas, service, and sharing your story upon return.
ASU Student Life had the privilege of speaking with four incredible Peace Corps volunteers who served at different times and in different locations throughout the past two decades. These volunteers traveled to Niger, the Caribbean, Togo and Uganda to complete their service. In keeping with the third tenet of the Peace Corps, they have graciously shared their experiences, challenges, insights and advice for those contemplating this impactful and meaningful journey.
When you choose to devote 27 months of your life to serving a community in need, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities, regardless of your field of study. Volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including health science, geology, finance, sustainability, communication and history, and complete their service in more than 60 countries. The application is free, with most medical examination fees covered by the organization.
Everything will be provided for you, from health care to housing, including a stipend and a passport. After spending three months in pre-service training, where you will acquire essential language and culture skills for your time representing the Peace Corps, you will transition into your assigned community. There, you will spend the next two years of your life living among the locals and providing critical services. During the initial three weeks, a welcoming host family will help you familiarize yourself with the local culture and community, after which you’ll transition into your own home provided by the Peace Corps. You won’t be alone, though, as you will also have a counterpart assigned to join you in your new home.
When spending time in the community, your most important task will be to learn what the community actually needs from you. When starting out, Melissa Mahon, who has gone on to participate in Americorps as well as two other nonprofits, suggests, “Ask your host family, ask your community members, figure out what they need. Work on those relationships. Don't do any projects, just get to know people and see what they want help with.”
Once you finish your work with the local community for the day, ample time remains for exploration and pursuing personal interests. If you’re an avid reader, seize the opportunity to delve into your favorite books.
Andra Hullinger, who is set to conclude her service in October 2024, highlights the diverse nature of Peace Corps experiences.
“What I’ve also learned about the Peace Corps is every single volunteer experience is very unique,” Hullinger said.
So, how do you prepare when there is no singular experience to draw from? Catherine Phillips, a Coverdell Fellow who has gone on to pursue her MBA, explains, “To a certain degree you can't prepare yourself for what you don't know, but more so preparing yourself to be open to new experiences.”
Embrace the fact that the Peace Corps journey may not always be smooth sailing. Each day, you will be faced with new and unique challenges as you adapt to living in a new culture. During your service, you will likely be faced with more alone time than you may be accustomed to. While you may find yourself struggling to grapple with issues you did not face living in the United States, there will always be support readily available to you. To care for your mental health, your cohort of Peace Corps volunteers form a community built on shared experiences that you can lean on. Additionally, telehealth therapy is available for you to take advantage of. Furthermore, the Peace Corps has introduced coaching sessions as a new program, in addition to telehealth therapy. However, if you find that the experience does not align with your expectations or personal circumstances, know that there is no shame in choosing to leave.
Hullinger emphasizes, “It's okay to quit, which I think is hard for a lot of people to imagine because they always think you signed up for something, you must stay with it. But it's completely okay to do that and there's people that support you in your cohort.”
If you feel like this experience may be right for you, Phillips encourages you to reflect on this question: “How comfortable are you with being uncomfortable?” Above all else, Peace Corps members unanimously agree that the most important qualities to enter with are resilience and adaptability. When providing service in a new environment, mistakes are an inevitable part of adapting!
Mahon elaborates, “In the Peace Corps, you fail all the time and you make mistakes all the time. I think having that patience and just that resilience [is important]. Your first year is all about failing, messing up. I think anytime you're in a new culture, you make so many mistakes.”
The community may need something completely different from what you were expecting or even what the Peace Corps sends you to do. This is where the real impact of your work comes in. If you’re flexible and resilient to change, you’ll be able to maximize your impact and see the difference you can make.
What do you stand to gain from engaging in this incredible opportunity? Aside from an amazing story to tell for the rest of your life, you will hone your collaboration skills and develop patience. Even more useful, volunteers develop soft skills from living in a new culture, learning from the new people they meet and work with every day.
Kathryn Clark, a Coverdell Fellow who completed her service in 2008, notes, “It's soft skills that are not easily learned in an academic environment. But, they are skills that I carry throughout my professional life.”
Beyond that, you gain a community of like-minded individuals who you are always able to lean on for support during your service and well past its end.
This impactful and valuable experience fosters a sense of interconnectedness and camaraderie based on shared lived experiences. Even after leaving the Peace Corps, the impact of volunteers’ time abroad reverberates throughout their lives for years to come. The connection shared between volunteers is unbreakable and truly unique, even when service was not performed at the same site.
“It’s a bond that, even if we served in different countries at different moments in time, there’s just something that binds us, and I attribute it to these three goals and the experience that we go through,” Clark describes. “It's an experience that you will take forward for the rest of your life.”
Mahon confirms the strong sense of community within the Peace Corps, stating: “All my Peace Corps friends are my best friends.”
Interested applicants can meet with Peace Corps representatives at ASU’s career fairs. Take advantage of the info tables available to learn more about the application process and how you can get involved. You can also go to www.peacecorps.gov/events to find an event that works for you.
Ultimately, Clark says it best: “Service really is what you make of it.”
So, ask yourself, are you ready to make a difference?
Eden Miller, Career Services