In a special May 9 ceremony on the third floor of the Global Commons, Kira Campagna ’26 and Ruby Radis ’26 – both of whom recently completed the Peace Corps Prep Program at ������Ƶ – each sounded the bell affixed to a wall of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center.

The Peace Corps gifted the bell to the university to commemorate a partnership between the two that dates to 2013 when the Peace Corps Prep Program was established at ������Ƶ.

The Peace Corps Prep Program equips students with critical competencies across four essential areas: sector-specific training, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional leadership development. Skills align with all six Peace Corps service sectors: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development.

The program is directed at ������Ƶ by Jennifer Eidum, an associate professor of English who previously taught English in Ukraine as a Peace Corps volunteer. More than 60 students have completed the requirements of the Peace Corps Prep Program since its inception.

Campagna, an elementary education major, credits her classroom observations and student teaching experiences with providing valuable preparation for working with diverse populations.

“Each experience has taught me a new and valuable lesson for which I am forever grateful,” she said. Campagna plans to pursue a teaching program that will allow her to work with children in need after graduation.

Radis, who is considering graduate studies in law or social work, said she found tremendous value in her service-learning experiences, including volunteer work with the . “The best part about doing Peace Corps Prep-related work is the ability to learn and take in knowledge from the community,” Radis said.

Both students encourage their peers to consider the Peace Corps Prep Program. Campagna said she advises prospective participants to “stick with the process” while Radis emphasizes the importance of maintaining “an open mind and a willingness to learn because you never know who or what might teach you an important lesson.”

The Peace Corps also recognized ������Ƶ’s contributions to its mission to promote world peace and friendship in a recent list of top-25 volunteer-producing colleges and universities.’

������Ƶ is ranked No. 16 in the medium colleges category with seven ������Ƶ alumni serving in four countries around the world: Morocco, Panama, Peru, and Senegal.

Visit the ������Ƶ Peace Corps Prep Program website or contact Associate Professor Jennifer Eidum (jeidum@elon.edu) for more information about the program.

“When I’m writing, I don’t think about genre or what side of the bookstore it’s going to end up in. You have to finish the thing first,” Karunatilaka said. “Once the book is humming, when it’s talking to you and the characters are talking to you, you don’t feel the need to contrive anything.”

Karunatilaka’s “The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia,” won the 2022 Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the English language. The novel is an absurdist comedy, murder mystery and political satire set during Sri Lanka’s civil war in the 1980s and told from the perspective of a slain journalist.

The author spoke for more than an hour Monday, Oct. 7, in Turner Theatre during a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Assistant Professor of English Dinidu Karunanayake and taking questions from the audience of about 100 people.

Repeatedly calling himself a cynic, he recounted his middle-class Sri Lankan upbringing during an era of political turmoil and violence that informs his writing and worldview.

“People live in these dystopias. How do we make sense of life?” Karunatilaka said. “The trope is that the hero flies away in a helicopter and writes a Pulitzer-winning article. But what about the guy who’s waving at the helicopter? His story is interesting. Someone should write that.”

Rather than feature police detectives, he has preferred to tell stories through the eyes of journalists and use satire to criticize politics and society. He prizes absurdism, “the throughline in my work,” and often “plays with reality” using the perspective of unsung heroes who are also unreliable narrators.

“You can still make jokes when you’re staring into the abyss,” he said. “Maybe it’s my warped sensibility. Maybe absurdism is the only plausible explanation I’ve caught onto as an accurate way to write about Sri Lanka.”

Karunatilaka described the difficult and sometimes “patronizing” process of rewriting “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” for Western audiences — that included the publisher changing the title from its original “A Chat with the Dead” to make it easier to market — but said working with a “brilliant editor” created the book’s definitive version.

Karunanayake, who is also Sri Lankan, was particularly interested in why the author used the second person point of view to tell “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.”

“What survives the death of your body? I thought it would be the voice in your head. For me, that’s in second person, telling me what I did wrong or what I should be doing,” Karunatilaka said. “Maybe I thought I could get away with more and include more between the lines, but honestly, it just felt right.”

Karunatilaka is the author of two novels, including “Chinaman,” the short story collection “The Birth Lottery and Other Surprises,” and several children’s books. As for his much-anticipated third novel?

“When you get down to writing, you have to shut out the noise. It’s you and the page and the words,” Karunatilaka said. “It won’t be easier to write, but I’ll find a story and attack it from every side.”

Shehan Karunatilaka won — one of the most prestigious awards given for works in the English language — in 2022 for his novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.” The book is an absurdist comedy, murder mystery and political satire set during Sri Lanka’s civil war in the 1980s. Karunatilaka will discuss his work, its impact on his country, Sri Lanka and the process of bringing his fiction to Western audiences with Assistant Professor of English Dinidu Karunanayake at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Schar Hall’s Turner Theatre.

“When Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize, it was a victory for all Sri Lankans,” said Karunanayake, who also is from Sri Lanka. “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” was published at the end of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime which was brought about by mass, nonviolent protests.

“The novel arrived when Sri Lanka was at a crossroads,” Karunanayake said. “At a time of despair and new dreams, Karunatilaka’s victory was like a fresh rain on parched land. It put Sri Lankan resilience and creativity on the world map.”

Karunanayake incorporates the author’s works into his classes, and this fall he included “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” in his ENG 3800 Advanced World Literature course. Students have responded enthusiastically to Karunatilaka’s humor and genre-bending, as well as his experiments with history, memory and the use of magic realism in his narratives, he said.

He hopes the audience will leave the discussion with new perspectives on the power of literature to make ethical interventions and a deeper understanding of Sri Lanka’s culture and history.

“Reading a book is one thing, but being in the same space to chat with its creator is a unique experience,” Karunanayake said. “I hope everyone interested in global politics, literature and humor will show up to share the evening with Karunatilaka.”

Karunatilaka’s visit is coordinated by the Department of English with additional sponsorships from the Dean’s Office of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Periclean Scholars Program; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society; the Provost’s Office; the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center; the ������Ƶ Core Curriculum; the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning; the Global Neighborhood; the Peace Corps Prep Program; the Department of Religious Studies; and the Asian Studies, American Studies, Interreligious Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies Programs.

McGrath is one of about 15 ������Ƶ undergraduates who have held regular, virtual English language practice sessions with Ukrainian college students since fall 2023.

“The Ukranian students were so excited to be there. They wanted to learn from me, and I wanted to learn from them. The details they shared about their lives were so interesting. Even when it was an 8 a.m. meeting time, it was a great way to start my day,” McGrath said.

The program — through the Peace Corps Virtual Service Pilot Program — continues this fall. Undergraduates who are interested in participating .

An elementary education major from Clarksburg, Maryland, McGrath learned of the opportunity to participate through the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) minor and its program coordinator Associate Professor of English Jennifer Eidum. Eidum is also the coordinator of ������Ƶ’s Peace Corps Prep program and a former Peace Corps volunteer.

Connecting with college students in Ukraine over various topics — from holiday traditions, childhood education to climate change — stoked McGrath’s curiosity about the world and fostered a deeper appreciation for global and cultural issues. She plans to teach abroad after graduation and wants to incorporate international exchange among U.S. elementary students in her teaching career.

“I want to bring these international perspectives into my classroom. I think it’s vital for students to learn about the world and other cultures,” McGrath said.

Seeing value in the opportunity for ������Ƶ students to engage in cross-cultural dialogue, Eidum applied for the in 2023 to lead conversational English lessons on Zoom for students at West Ukrainian National University in Ternopil, Ukraine, and Rivne State University of the Humanities in Rivne, Ukraine, inviting ������Ƶ students to join the conversations to lead small-group conversations and share their experiences as U.S. college students.

“This project gives our students considering international teaching exposure to teaching and learning with English language learners abroad. They get to dip their toes in how to talk with and ask questions to students in that environment,” Eidum said. “For those in the Peace Corps Prep Program, they learn the Peace Corps infrastructure and get a real connection to it.”

The sessions are held twice a week, and Eidum oversees them after collaborating with Ukrainian instructors to identify topics of conversation. Peace Corps staff, including the program coordinator for the education program, Tamara Prydatko, also join the meetings.

“The Ukrainian teachers and students of WUNU are grateful to Jennifer and the ������Ƶ students for their outstanding virtual service and continued efforts to spread the Peace Corps mission: to promote peace and friendship among our countries and people,” Prydatko said.

Eidum is recruiting ������Ƶ undergraduates interested in working with Ukrainian English-language learners through the virtual program, whether they are in ������Ƶ’s Peace Corps Prep program, the TESOL minor or want to volunteer independently. Students who participate earn credit towards ������Ƶ Experiences in service through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, and there are opportunities for internships in the Peace Corps Virtual Service pilot program for students from any major, Eidum said.

Beyond that, students are familiarizing themselves with a population and culture often in the headlines due to the ongoing war with Russia. Peace Corps protocol requires political neutrality and prohibits direct conversations about the conflict, but its effects sometimes emerge as participants share the details of their daily lives, Eidum said.

The pilot program has also allowed Eidum to reconnect to Ukraine, where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer 20 years ago. That experience transformed her worldview and her teaching.

“The Peace Corps and Ukraine are central to my personal and professional identity. Thinking about this place I love, and the people displaced by this unjust invasion, this program keeps the Peace Corps active in Ukraine in a time of war,” Eidum said. “It also keeps me current professionally. I’ve been teaching primarily English-speaking students how to teach English to speakers of other languages, but it has been a while since I have worked directly with English learners. This has been a great opportunity to refresh my knowledge of teaching English language learners.”

������Ƶ’s Peace Corps Prep program is regularly recognized as a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers and ������Ƶ is often ranked as a top 10 Peace Corps Prep partner university. ������Ƶ established its program in 2013 to prepare students for careers in international development and, at the time, was only the sixth school to host a Peace Corps Prep program. More than 80 ������Ƶ students have since graduated from the program.

������Ƶ students recognized for completing the Peace Corps Prep Program in the 2023-2024 academic year:

• Abby Brantman ‘24
• Mackenzie DeMania ‘24
• Lily Hill ‘25
• Sidra Kennedy ‘24
• Kat Lobach ‘24
• Morgan McGlynn ‘24
• Eliana Olivier ‘24
• Samantha Schwamberger ‘24
• Avery Sutherland ‘24

The university’s Peace Corps Prep Program prepares students for international service through mentoring, coursework, and field experiences. Through the program, students develop four competencies—training and experience in a specific work sector, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competency, professional leadership, and development skills. The program includes all six Peace Corps service areas — Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health and Youth in Development.

This year, two Peace Corps Prep certificate earners are preparing to serve as Peace Corps Volunteers after graduation: Abby Brantman ‘24 has been accepted to serve as a Youth in Development volunteer in Morocco, and Mackenzie DeMania ‘24 will go to Peru this September as a Community Health Facilitator.

The program is directed by Jennifer Eidum, associate professor of English, who previously taught English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine.

Mackenzie DeMania ‘24 said her experiences studying abroad prepared her for international service after graduation. “I studied abroad in India in January of 2023 to complete my Public Health Practicum, and fulfill a requirement for the Peace Corps Prep program,” DeMania said. “I learned so much by observing the incredible community-based healthcare provided to rural Indian villages in Maharashtra by the Comprehensive Rural Health Project. The Jamkhed model highlights community empowerment as a sustainable way to improve health outcomes.”

When asked what advice she has for future Peace Corps Prep students, DeMania advised she was easily able to fulfill the required courses and experiences by taking classes she was interested in. “Don’t be overwhelmed by the requirements, because many courses and experiences will also fulfill other major or core requirements,” she said.

Lily Hill ‘25 said her experience visiting a Burlington elementary school weekly to deepen her Education-related training. “I worked with 4th graders and it was so much fun to watch them learn each week,” she said. “While here, I taught two lessons: one on history and the other on science/ELA”

Hill recognizes how the Peace Corps Prep Program complements her major and also deepens her global skills, sharing that the program is “a great opportunity to experience work in a specific sector. I did education because I am an education major. It also allows us to work on foreign language proficiency, intercultural competency and professional leadership.”

Sidra Kennedy ‘24 similarly found her Peace Corps Prep courses to benefit her professional development, especially the human service studies course Working with Groups and Communities. “It helped me gain tangible skills that can be applied to any work environment,” she said.

When asked what advice she has for future Peace Corps Prep students, Kennedy reflected on the value of this international service preparatory program. “There is so much that connects to the Peace Corps outside of the traditional preparatory program,” Kennedy said. “When you are in other classes and activities, open your mind to see all the connections, because it only enhances your learning.”

After graduation, Kennedy will work as an assistant director at a summer camp in Georgia.

Eliana Olivier ‘24 advises Peace Corps Prep students to “ take advantage of the different opportunities within the program to explore the things you’re passionate about. … Working as an Environmental Justice Intern for the Office of Sustainability was an amazing experience and I have learned so much from the job.”

Eliana Olivier ‘24 will utilize the skills she developed in the Peace Corps Prep Program this fall as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Colombia.

Abby Brantman ‘24 said the coursework she completed for the program’s intercultural competence requirement expanded her perspectives. “As a political science major, I already had an express interest in politics and global dynamics, but after looking into the Peace Corps Prep program, I added the Peace & Conflict Studies minor to my degree audit,” Brantman said. “The course, Foundations of Peace & Conflict Studies, required by my minor and satisfying a portion of the intercultural competency aspect of the PCP program, fundamentally changed the way I viewed international conflict and expanded the critical mindset with which I approach the analysis of global relations.”

Brantman credits the fieldwork components of the Peace Corps Prep program as important for developing her abilities to work within local communities. Her focus on Youth in Development “pushed me to select work and volunteer opportunities, such as working at a sleepaway camp or at the Burlington Boys and Girls Club, that were centered around the youth population” Brantman said. “Those experiences ended up being some of the most rewarding of my college career.”

Brantman encourages students considering the Peace Corps Prep Program to “Just give it a shot! It may feel intimidating to participate in a program during college that is a route to possible post-graduate plans, but you are in no way bound to entering the Peace Corps upon graduation and if anything you can look at Peace Corps Prep simply as a program that looks to foster service-minded, well-rounded global citizens.”

The university initially partnered with the Peace Corps in 2013 to help prepare interested students for careers in international development and at the time was just the sixth school in the nation to host a Peace Corps Prep program. ������Ƶ has been repeatedly ranked as both a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers and as a top-10 Peace Corps Prep partner university. ������Ƶ recently received word that it was approved for another five-year renewal of the partnership, which since 2013 has seen close to 80 students graduate with a certificate of program completion.

“We’re excited to extend our partnership with the Peace Corps through this impactful program that helps students cultivate a foundation of skills they can use to make a difference on a global scale,” said Jennifer Eidum, associate professor of English and director of ������Ƶ’s Peace Corps Prep program.

Through the program, students develop four competencies — training and experience in a specific work sector, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competency, and professional leadership and development skills. The program includes all six Peace Corps service areas — Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development.

The program appeals to students from a broad spectrum of disciplines and while some who complete the program go on to volunteer with the Peace Corps, others use the skills and insights they gained through the program for international careers. To receive the Peace Corps Prep certificate at ������Ƶ, students must complete three courses in their chosen sector and at least 50 hours of service in the sector.

Students are also required to demonstrate intercultural competence through a range of experiences during their time at ������Ƶ as well as to show professional and leadership development.

The past five years have presented challenges to programs such as the Peace Corps after the global COVID-19 pandemic required unprecedented travel and public health restrictions. As COVID spread globally in spring 2020, all Peace Corps volunteers were evacuated across the globe, including ������Ƶ alumni who were serving at the time. Peace Corps volunteers were not able to serve in the field for more than a year, but have begun returning. Worldwide, 2,400 volunteers now serving in 58 countries.

The global pandemic caused a similar downturn in activity for ������Ƶ’s prep program, but interest is growing. This week, the program hosted a table at College Coffee on Tuesday, Feb. 27, that led up to the celebration in Turner Theatre on Thursday.

“I saw firsthand as a volunteer how the Peace Corps can make an impact, and we’re enthusiastic to help prepare new students to address global challenges big and small,” said Eidum, who served in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

The celebratory evening will kick off at 6 p.m. with a panel discussion featuring returned Peace Corps volunteers from the local community. Barney Caton who served in Nepal (1989-91) as a math teacher, Beth Holmes, who served in Armenia (2017-18) as a community economic development volunteer, and Susan Sunay who served as a health volunteer in South Africa (2017-19) and is scheduled to serve again in Botswana this summer.

The discussion will focus on their experiences both as Peace Corps Volunteers and how the Peace Corps had affected their career trajectories, with panelists offering insight into their experiences within the countries where they served and sharing the impact of serving as a Peace Corps volunteer.

The screening of “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” begins at 7 p.m. Narrated by Annette Bening, the documentary traces the challenges that came with creating the Peace Corps, its growing pains as it got started and the immeasurable impact that its volunteers have made in the more than 60 years since it launched.

Interested in getting involved?

• If you are a faculty, staff, or alumni Returned Peace Corps volunteer and would like to be profiled online, or get involved in events, please contact Jennifer Eidum (jeidum@elon.edu).
• If you’re a student interested in the program, sign up for our interest list and join our events.
• If you’re faculty/staff and would like us to share more about the program with your students, reach out to Jennifer Eidum (jeidum@elon.edu) for a personalized presentation.

This ideology was reflected during his time as a student at ������Ƶ. Alongside his roommate and best friend, Kendall Adkins ’12, Brawerman grew the after-school program Coaching Health and Mentoring Positive Students (CHAMPS) under the guidance of Exercise Science Lecturer Liz Bailey.

CHAMPS gave male elementary school students an outlet to work with college-aged mentors to learn valuable life skills through sports. The program was a team effort, with his Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers among those volunteering their time and energy to the initiative, Brawerman said. “We had the football team come join a session and run drills followed by a conversation about healthy eating habits called ‘Tackle Your Diet’,” he said.

His work with CHAMPS morphed into a successful research project on mentoring programs as a measure of self-efficacy of boys through mentorship and exercise. In addition to presenting at SURF during his senior year, Brawerman also presented his research at an undergraduate conference in Utah.

Brawerman was always finding opportunities on campus to explore the intersection of his interests. “I created my own major via the Independent Study program so that I could get my foot in the door at big sports companies,” he said, noting that his major incorporated exercise science, business administration and sports management.

That passion for athletics persisted and inspired Brawerman to join the Campus Recreation team and earn his personal training certification. But come graduation, it was his deeply engrained love for helping others that won out over his love of sports.

“[CHAMPS] shaped my passion for service and human development, which ultimately led to my desire to apply for and join the Peace Corps,” he says. Brawerman underwent the year-long application process to become a health education Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova. “I never thought I’d end up living in Eastern Europe, but it was one of the most enriching experiences of my life,” he said.

According to Brawerman, two years may be a long time away from family immediately following college, especially in a country with a vastly different language and culture; however, the once-in-a-lifetime experience was worth it. “I felt like I had a really big impact on an entire rural community (5,000 people) where I helped them learn about balanced nutrition, self-confidence and building good habits,” he said.

Brawerman worked with a Moldovan teacher in his village to develop a health-based curriculum that is still being taught today and wrote a grant with the community’s mayor that led to a park being built in the village. The distance didn’t reduce his connection to the ������Ƶ community, with three different friends from ������Ƶ visiting him during his work in Moldova.

Following the Peace Corps, Brawerman worked with several management consulting organizations before landing at his current company, , a Software as a Service technology company focused on e-commerce. He is now the head of culture at Feedonomics, a role through which he has done everything from hiring and recruiting to serving as a kind of chief of staff of their leadership team.

“My role is dedicated to building and maintaining an inspiring and healthy company culture, which is hard to do since we are 100% remote and spread around the globe,” he said. Combined with his experience in consulting, Brawerman feels he has a good feel for how interpersonal skills and the dynamics of groups and clients can impact a work environment.

“I want the team members that come through Feedonomics to remember their time as a ‘Feedo’ as one of the best of their careers,” he said. “I want people to feel heard, to have opportunities to develop their skills and to have their own wins celebrated at a company level. My metric is company retention, but ultimately, it’s the qualitative feedback we get of someone enjoying their role and their own growth that I find fulfilling.”

As he enters his fourth year with Feedonomics, Brawerman reflects on his growth. Being head of culture “combines all the things I want to do — help people be happy in their daily lives and challenge them to reach their highest goals,” he said.

During the time Brawerman has worked at Feedonomics, the company has more than doubled in size and boasts a 93% retention rate. “Our colleagues have trusted us enough to stick around for five, six, seven years” he said. “I think that’s pretty cool.”

Brawerman also had the opportunity to connect with one of his former ������Ƶ professors, Sharon Eisner, to host a listening workshop for Feedonomics that helped members of the team strength their soft skills. “It was an awesome full-circle moment for me,” he said.

Brawerman has come a long way from the high school freshman who tagged along when his older sister toured ������Ƶ. His experiences at ������Ƶ continue to pay off. His study abroad experience in South Africa showed Brawerman the importance of interacting with different cultures. “I was also a part of a fraternity which taught me that strong bonds and relationships are our most valuable commodity,” he said. “And I got my butt kicked in some courses — hello, human anatomy lab — that showed me I could be a lifelong learner with so many teachings ahead.”

Brawerman has some advice for ������Ƶ community members considering applying to the Peace Corps. “Just apply,” he said. “You can always say no, but if it is in your heart, explore the potential opportunity. They are skilled at what they do and will match you with an abroad community that fits your skill set.”

The experience may be uncomfortable at times, but Brawerman believes that the growth is worth it. “Embrace it,” he said. “Vulnerability often yields the greatest rewards.”

What would Brawerman say to his younger self? “Time in college goes by so fast, you never want to leave without thinking you didn’t take advantage of every little thing available to you,” he said. Like Brawerman’s decision to join a fraternity on a whim, there is a lot to be said about those unexpected college experiences.

From his fraternity, Brawerman gained lifelong friendships. He has even officiated four weddings of ������Ƶ friends, three of whom were his fraternity brothers. He was also the best man of his ������Ƶ101-classmate-turned-best-friend’s wedding. “I guess I owe a lot to ������Ƶ and my time as a Phoenix,” he said.

Contact Kyle Anderson in the Kernodle Center at kanderson52@elon.edu with any questions.

Events

American Red Cross Blood Drive
Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life

Wednesday, Jan. 17, from noon to 6 p.m. in Alumni Gym
Activity: donate blood as part of the MLK January blood drive

to sign-up for a time slot.
Audience: staff, faculty, and students

Year of Service/Gap Year Panel
Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, Peace Corp Prep Program, and Student Professional Development Center

Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 5 to 6 p.m. in Moseley Center 215

Activity: Looking to do something meaningful after you graduate but are not quite sure yet what you want to do? Consider a gap year program. Ask questions and hear more from representatives from ������Ƶ’s Year of Service Fellows Program, the Peace Corps Prep Program, N.C. Campus Engagement/AmeriCorps VISTA and Teach for America.

Audience: students

Volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club
Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life

Thursday, Jan. 18, from 2:45 to 6:15 p.m.

Activity: Volunteer with The Salvation Army of Alamance County Boys & Girls Club after-school program.

. Spots are limited.

Audience: students

Tour of the African-American Cultural Arts and History Center
Sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and CREDE

Friday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to noon

Activity: join for a guided tour of the African-American Cultural Arts and History Center in Burlington.

. Spots are limited. Transportation is provided from campus.

Audience: staff, faculty, and students

In the peer-reviewed article, Eidum argues that the Peace Corps plays an important role in sustainable development and soft diplomacy across the globe through its vast network of cross-national partnerships and personal relationships. Building upon her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer, she details the training volunteers receive to meet the :

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Eidum argues that the grassroots, “people-investing-in-people” nature of the Peace Corps creates an agile network of reciprocal relationships that can respond both to acute crises and long-term challenges. That is, while the personal connections between volunteers and their communities can last beyond a volunteer’s service, the web of connections cultivated by Peace Corps service within communities has a long-term impact globally. She shares examples of the Peace Corps responding both to acute crises, such as earthquakes and pandemics (like Ebola and Covid), as well as longer challenges such as the Russia-Ukraine war, to advocate for ongoing investment in this important U.S. agency.

Eidum previously served as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine and now directs ������Ƶ’s Peace Corps Prep Program, which prepares students for international service through mentoring, coursework and field experiences. Through the program, students develop four competencies: training and experience in a specific work sector, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competency, and professional leadership and development skills. The program includes all six Peace Corps service areas—Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health and Youth in Development.

The is the official publication of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. It is a peer-reviewed journal, edited by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students of the Walsh school, that presents conversations accessible to readers with all levels of knowledge about foreign affairs and international politics. Articles often feature the perspectives and writing of top policymakers, business leaders, and academic luminaries.

Details

Eidum, J.E. (2023). Peace Corps Networks: Activating Volunteers for a Lifetime. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs 24(1), 114-122. .

������Ƶ students recognized for completing the Peace Corps Prep Program in 2023: Ava de Bruin ’23, Julia Herman ’24, Kiara Hunter ’23, Stephanie Wagner ’23 and Kate Wirth ’23.

The university’s Peace Corps Prep Program prepares students for international service through mentoring, coursework and field experiences. Through the program, students develop four competencies — training and experience in a specific work sector, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competency, and professional leadership and development skills. The program includes all six Peace Corps service areas — Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development.

The program is directed by Assistant Professor of English Jennifer Eidum, who previously served as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine.

Julia Herman ‘24 reflects on her experience taking a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Theory and Practice course to fulfill the Peace Corps Prep program requirements.

“I have always had an interest in education and teaching, and this course allowed me to explore those interests,” Herman says. “I had the unique experience of being a teaching assistant in a course to adult Spanish speakers. This course provided me with a new perspective on learning.”

When asked about how she met the intercultural competency requirement needed to receive a Peace Corps Prep Program certificate, Herman says, “Periclean scholars, coupled with my semester abroad in Spain, has given me multiple opportunities to experience cultural immersion, interact with locals, better understand the way that others live and explore how I may be of service on a global scale.”

Following graduation, Herman hopes to gain a dual degree in MBA/MPH and pursue a career in healthcare administration on the global level.

Kiara Hunter ‘23 encourages future Peace Corps Prep students to embrace service opportunities.

“Engaging in service is mutually beneficial: you get to make a larger impact in your community, and learn more about yourself, your preferences, and your goals. It will shape you into a well-rounded person ready to engage with life after college,” Hunter says.

After graduation, Hunter will pursue her Master of Science in Population Health from the University College London.

Ava de Bruin ‘23 has served as the Peace Corps Prep Program’s student worker since 2018, and is among this year’s Peace Corps Prep Program certificate recipients. de Bruin cites her Peace Corps Prep field experience as one of the most impactful parts of the program.

“To get my Peace Corps Prep field hours, I worked as an Emergency Preparedness Intern for a public health consulting firm,” de Bruin says. “In this role, I fulfilled deliverables for federal grants and presented my findings to local health departments. This opportunity grew my confidence in a workplace setting and exposed me to a new side of public health work.”

When asked what advice she has for future Peace Corps Prep students, de Bruin reflects on misconceptions surrounding the Peace Corps Prep Program.

“The best advice I have for future Peace Corps Prep students is not to be intimidated by the program requirements,” de Bruin says. “It is likely you will meet many of the Peace Corps Prep requirements through the ������Ƶ Core Curriculum and through requirements for your major, especially if your studies overlap with the Peace Corps service sectors. Do not let fear of commitment hold you back from pursuing the certificate!”

de Bruin is preparing for a backpacking trip across Europe this summer before returning to school to pursue a Master in Public Health.

Stephanie Wagner ‘23 worked as a camp counselor to 120 high school students in Paris, France, which served as her Peace Corps related work experience.

“It was a lot of hard work being on call 24/7, but I had a blast with my colleagues and learned a lot about what it takes to run a study abroad program,” Wagner says.

Following her graduation, Wagner will be teaching English in Lille, France, as a part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF).

Kate Wirth ‘23 cites her time abroad as some of her most impactful. In Copenhagen, Denmark, she furthered her interest in sex education and explored cultural views of sex and sexuality through her coursework. In Sri Lanka, Wirth had the opportunity to explore LGBTQ+ stories and experiences, and used this research to develop guidelines on ethical civic engagement for future ������Ƶ Students.

After graduation, Wirth will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to pursue her Masters in Social Work.

When asked to share advice for future students, Wirth encourages students to go beyond their comfort zones.

“Think about the impact your life can have on communities locally and globally. And engage in all the amazing things Peace Corps Prep brings to campus,” Wirth says