FEATURES
Name: Jacqueline Mullen
MSU Alumna? technically doesnt have diploma due to study abroad credits being transferred,
Major? comparative cultures and politics, james mad college
what inspired you to get involved in the peace corps?
well since i started studying at msu i’ve gone abroad a couple times and so i knew that i wanted to travel and learn as- i mean most of my major is learning about other places, peace corps is best option for me since it lets me use skills i have and they pay for everything, move somewhere and learn for 2 years, work w kids
what will you be doing in the peace corps? how long?
title- “kids in development” its really vague now but basically wherever i’m going, i know i’ll be working w kids in after school programs, specifics will be different
do you feel excited, nervous, anxious, etc?
i basically feel everything, its a really big change to go somewhere and commit over 2 yrs of your life to something, i feel nervous, i feel scared, i feel so many different. its not the first time i’ve done something like this, gone abroad 3.5 months,
went abroad to dona and senegal, went to nicargara,
do you have any idea what to expect?
i expect to not know very much, i basically just expect to have to learn a lot and i dont expect i’ll know really anything, you just end up looking stupid and im okay w that becuase im used to being wrong, i also expect to learn quickly
what are some of your goals, regarding the peace corps and in general?
number one goal for peace corps at least for first few months is training in language and culture and all that stuff so my first goal is to learn as much as i can and study, study arabic 3-4 hours every day, and then i just want to get to know everybody make as many friends as possible, i want to get in touch w my old elementary school, i wanna learn their cultures and i want them to learn about mine, create pen pal system, and in general i guess my goal is, idk what career i want to do something that involves learning about places outside us and work for gov make us better policies for treating, foreign policy
would you say its important for young adults to be involved in organizations like peace corps? why?
i think its extremely important for YA imo to travel, no matter how they do it learn more than their hometown, came from small town, its important for ppl to realize theres a world outside their country, i know peace corps isnt for everyone, studying abroad
is there anything else you’d like to add?
thank everyone who played a part in m
Name: Heather Mangan
Job title: public affairs specialist for peace corps midwest regional office
can you briefly explain what the peace corps is?
its about making a difference we make a difference in the lives we touch in lives of countries we go, we bring back info, traditions, lessons, bring back to usa, and then we make a difference in lives of volunteers, come out w advanced skills, whole new perspective, new knowledge
would you say you see a lot of recent graduates joining peace corps? why do you think that is?
yeah we have no upper age limit, have to be at least 18 to apply, and you have to have definitve skills, so most have some degree, we see retirees and mid-career, most volunteers are recent college grads
what are some benefits to joining the peace corps?
well we have some tangible benefits- air fare to and from country paid for, medical care while there, readjusted allowance, get a certain amount of money each month, you also have educational benefits, program that allows people to finish masters while serving, fellows program at universities where tuition is reduced/covered, being able to travel, learn another culture, language, experience something so different our volunteers go and work in fields, professional and personal development, better resume
is there anything else you’d like to add?
we have new application we launched last year, takes an hour, for first time ever people can choose where theyd like to serve
