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| Peace Corps honors Appalachian
students |
Sam Calhoun
Academic Affairs Beat
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Peace
Corps applicants, nominees and invitees met Monday evening in Edwin
Duncan Hall to be honored and recognized for their future service
in the Peace Corps.
The ceremony honored 17 Appalachian State University seniors and
alumni who have been accepted into the Peace Corps in 2003, as well
as nominees from other schools in western North Carolina.
Career Development Center Assistant Director Sharon C. Jensen accepted
a certificate of appreciation on behalf of Appalachian State in
recognition of the 148 graduates Appalachian State has sent to 73
countries with Peace Corps.
Currently, Appalachian State has 19 alumni serving overseas in the
Peace Corps. These statistics have made Appalachian State 14th in
the Mid-Atlantic Region for top-producing schools for Peace Corps
volunteers, Peace Corps Public Affairs Specialist Sara Johnston
said Monday.
The Peace Corps is a two-year service commitment in which volunteers
work in the fields of education, health and HIV/AIDS awareness and
education, information technology, business development, environment
and agriculture in a developing country, according to a Peace Corps
Media Advisory.
“There are three main goals of Peace Corps,” Peace Corps
Regional Recruiter Heather Lee said Monday. “The first goal
is to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need
for trained men and women.”
“The second goal of Peace Corps is to help promote a better
understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, and
the third goal is to bring it all back home, and that’s, as
a return volunteer, to educate other people about other countries
and the experiences that you have had,” Lee said.
Lee said her own experience with the Peace Corps was “to be
given the opportunity to be more of a global citizen.”
She said she sees that potential in the new applicants.
“I think the majority of [current applicants] have a sincere
interest in service, a desire to learn more about other cultures
and want to make a difference by helping others,” Lee said.
“You have to be flexible, but really excited to be submerged
into another culture,” she said as advice to new applicants.
The Peace Corps has rolling admissions, a transcript, resume, application
forms, background check and three references are required.
Once you are accepted and given a predicted assignment you are considered
a nominee, and once you have medical and dental clearance then you
are an invitee, Lee said.
All volunteers must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old,
according to the Peace Corps Media Advisory.
Senior elementary education major Heather L. Moeller of Charlotte
was one of the Appalachian State students honored Monday night.
She is a Peace Corps nominee and is graduating this May.
“I definitely wanted an organization that was going to allow
me to go to a place totally unlike America, totally unlike Europe
or any place that is similar to a life that I’ve led,”
Moeller said. “I wanted a chance to go live with people, be
with people, not just a short mission trip.”
Moeller’s assignment will take her somewhere in Africa or Asia
where she’ll be using her degree from Appalachian State to
train teachers.
“They really have a need, and I felt that I could fill that
need,” Moeller said.
Appalachian State biology professor Dr. Gary L. Walker spoke at
the ceremony about his time in the Peace Corps in Nepal, and graduating
senior and applicant Stacy L. Anderson also gave remarks. |
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