For many seniors returning for their final year at Tufts, the realities of post-graduation life are becoming much clearer; finding a job, getting an apartment, learning to pay the bills. But imagine if your plan for life after graduation instead included no running water, no electricity, no roads and no English.
Enter the Peace Corps. Founded in 1961 by President John Kennedy, the Peace Corps program sends thousands of volunteers to 76 countries around the globe to promote world peace and international cooperation. Peace Corps members commit to a 27-month time frame, during which they specialize in a specific volunteer category. These can include education, youth and community development and HIV/AIDS. Volunteers are typically placed in rural areas where little English is spoken, allowing for total cultural immersion.
Given Tufts' emphasis on both community service and international affairs, the program appeals to many students who are looking to serve abroad. A total of 497 Tufts graduates have served as Peace Corps volunteers since the organization was founded over 50 years ago, according to Director of Career Services Jean Papalia. There are currently 20 Tufts alumni engaged in the organization in a variety of sites, including Guatemala, Honduras, Lesotho, Mongolia, Rwanda, South Africa and Ukraine.
"Given our focus on service and leadership at Tufts, training and volunteering with the Peace Corps may seem like an extension of a Tufts education," Papalia said. "Tufts graduates who served in the Peace Corps always remark on what a life-altering experience it was. The skills they developed during their time in the Peace Corps serve them well throughout their future careers."
Tufts students considering joining the organization affirm that their attraction to the Peace Corps originates both from a drive to give back to the community and an interest in having a new cultural experience.
Callie McHugh, a senior who plans to apply to the Peace Corps, said the isolation of living alone in a new country piqued her interest.
"I think it would be such an incredible cultural experience to be 100-percent immersed in the sense that you have no Americans with you in the other culture," McHugh said. "It's something I've always imagined myself doing as a way to give back and personally develop."
Other Tufts students share McHugh's enthusiasm. "Simply put, my reasons for wanting to join the Peace Corps are three-fold: service, language and immersion," junior Matthias Maier, who is considering joining after he graduates, said.
"I feel that grassroots community service is really important for inspiring change and what better way than to live in a community and work from the ground up," he said.
Both students also agreed that their Tufts education had brought the Peace Corps to the forefront of their considerations for post-graduation plans.
"A key thing for me would have to be the atmosphere of Tufts," Maier said. "I would say that the campus vibe that really supports international involvement ... I find the attitude toward service and being a global citizen an inspiration to continue to reach out and, as cliche as I know it is, try to save the world."
McHugh was similarly influenced by her experiences at Tufts. "I think the general focus on service at Tufts and giving back to the community and using resources yourself, your energy, your intelligence older people don't have the same level of freedom and openness, and I think Tufts does a good job of helping people recognize their blessings and they should help other people with those things."
Elizabeth Rodgers (LA '00), was guided by many of the same sentiments when she joined the Peace Corps in 2001 as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. After being evacuated after the Sept. 11 attacks, she was able to complete her service in 2002.
"The emphasis on volunteerism at Tufts definitely influenced me," she said. "I hadn't gotten as involved in volunteering as I would have liked while in college, so was looking for an opportunity to ‘give back' after I graduated," she said. "Peace Corps offered me the opportunity to travel, live overseas, learn a language and give something back after the many years and many dollars that had been invested in my education."
As a health extension volunteer, Rodgers went through an intensive three-month training period, spending 20 hours a week in language classes and another 20 learning the technical skills required for her job. After training, she was transferred to a small town called Juma. "I was the only Peace Corps Volunteer in Juma, and lived with an Uzbek host family," she said. "They spoke no English, so it was a wonderful opportunity to become immersed in the language."
During her service, Rodgers participated in a variety of public health projects.
"We worked together with nurses to develop community education programs for these women and other young women in the community on topics like nutrition, anemia prevention, breastfeeding and baby care," she said. "I also started a youth group in my town for 7th and 8th graders, where we discussed a multitude of topics like goal setting, decision making and reproductive health."
In contrast, Cho-Yau Ling (LA '06) had a Peace Corps volunteer experience in Kazakhstan that more closely resembled his life back in America.
"Unlike the experience Peace Corps advertises where you live in a small village where standard of living is much lower than in the U.S., my year of service was very different. I lived in a nice apartment with wi-fi internet, and went to coffee shops with friends," he said. "I think it opened my eyes to realize that the "third world" no longer existed as it was when Peace Corps was created. Instead, low-income and middle-income countries are becoming wealthier and expecting more from the global economy, and Peace Corps volunteer has to adapt to this."
While both Rodgers and Ling emphasized their wonderful experiences with the program, they also encouraged students considering the Peace Corps to weigh the decision very seriously.
"Make sure that you are choosing a program or country that you are interested in. I know a lot of volunteers that told Peace Corps they didn't care where they work and what they do, when in actuality they had a certain ‘experience' in mind," said Ling. "For example, some volunteers in Kazakhstan thought all volunteers lived in a small village working on a field project, but instead were disappointed when they found themselves living in a large city and working in an office."
Rodgers had similar advice. "Peace Corps is definitely not for everyone," he said. "Make sure you do your homework and learn about the program. Also, consider whether you will be able to be away from friends and family for two years," she said. "While straight out of college is generally a great time to serve in the Peace Corps, sometimes people's personal circumstances just aren't right at this time. That said, if you can do it, I highly recommend taking advantage of the chance to get the experience of a lifetime and make a difference in the world."
