LIFESTYLE: Teaching for Peace

Peace corps volunteers take time out to make a difference When the University first moved to West Philadelphia in the 1870s, classes were confined to a single building -- College Hall. Today, 125 years later, the campus has expanded to seven city blocks, giving students more academic "breathing room." But even with this added opportunity, many students are recognizing that education can not be confined within the University's ivy walls. And while diversity and opportunity are still able to co-exist, students continue to look outside their daily curriculum for fresh perspectives and new channels into which they can exert their energies. Some hope to use the skills they have learned in college to bridge the gap between world cultures -- volunteering in the Peace Corps. According to Peace Corps Campus Representative Teresa Straffin, 19 University students have been nominated for the Peace Corps. Each has the opportunity to serve for two years in a developing, Third World country. There, they will have the chance to apply their skills and see the impact their work has on those they are helping. Straffin, currently a student in the Graduate School of Education, extended her service to three-and-a-half years in Lesotho, a country in Southern Africa. She taught English to Sesotho-speaking elementary school children. She also took on a secondary project, helping her assigned school raise money to create an independent lunch system. "Volunteering is a definite chance to get some travel in, as well as a real eye-opener," Straffin said. She explained that volunteers -- who are recruited for particular programs based on their skills -- receive a monthly stipend equal to the salary a professional in their host country would earn. "The Peace Corps is looking for people with skills that the countries are requesting," she added. Straffin emphasized the difference the Peace Corps can make, not only in the lives of the people the volunteers are helping, but also in the volunteers' own lives as well. "I think it really changed my lifestyle, in that I am really aware of material waste in the States now," she said. "I'm more aware of world issues." According to Straffin, receiving a nomination is not an easy accomplishment. The basic requirements call for volunteers to be at least 18 years of age, but Straffin added that normally people will not be nominated until they're 21 and have earned their bachelor's degree. She explained that there is no upper age limit -- currently an 87-year-old woman volunteers for the organization. Straffin said she encourages people to look into the program as a freshman or sophomore, so that they will be fully qualified by the time they graduate. She added that the application process takes six to nine months. "I finished my senior year with an elementary education degree," Straffin said. "I was looking for my first couple of years outside the regular classroom." She explained that nominees only receive scant details about their positions until their two-to-three month training session begins. They are asked on their application for geographic preferences, but their ultimate placement depends on where their skills are needed most. Until training begins, applicants must rely on accounts of previous volunteers and their senses of adventure to appease their curiosity. While those nominated have serious concerns about the little contact they will have with family and friends, they said these considerations were outweighed by the potential for experiencing a new culture and a new way of life. College senior Amy Lathrop expressed concerns about leaving her family behind, but said they did not temper her excitement about volunteering. "It's an adventure," she said. "It's something I'll never be able to do at any other time of my life." Lathrop will be working in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, in the foothills of the Himalayas. She will be teaching English to doctors. "English is the international scientific language," Lathrop explained. "It opens [the doctors] up onto the global market so they'll be able to interact with the outside world." Lathrop, who is a Biological Basis of Behavior major, is having trouble deciding whether to pursue a career as a medical doctor or obtain her research degree. She's hoping that while volunteering, she will be able to sort out her thoughts, have the opportunity to travel, gain a more global perspective and do some good as well. "I'll be able to dig my heels in and really learn about the culture instead of being a tourist," she said. "I feel in America I am really pampered. It will really be a new perspective. "I think the Peace Corps is looking for initiative to fulfill a need," Lathrop added. College senior Matt Vespa also said he feels the Peace Corps offers a variety of possibilities for new experiences. "I know it's going to be very difficult, but I think it's necessary for personal growth," he said. "You try to rise to the occasion and see what happens in the process." Vespa has been interested in the Corps since he first saw the advertisements when he was seven years old. He said he feels that submatriculating for his masters degree in Conservational Biology helped him obtain his nomination. "I guess I wanted some work-abroad experience," he said. "I wanted to live and work abroad and experience some culture. And the Peace Corps is a good medium." Vespa will be serving in Paraguay, where he will be involved in forestry. He will have to learn Spanish and an indigenous language known as Guarani. "There's a potential for self-realization and questioning your background," Vespa added. Second-year Education graduate student Wendy Preisman has always wanted to travel. She knows people who have had good experiences in the Peace Corps, so she decided to apply in September. With a liberal arts degree in psychology, she did not think she would get into the program. But Preisman attributes her acceptance to her education, her masters degree, her volunteer work and her internship as a drug and alcohol counselor. Preisman will be administering drug and alcohol counseling in an English-speaking country in Latin America. She leaves for her assignment in mid-July. "It seems really exciting to me," she said. "It's scary to leave everyone. "There are a lot of volunteers, so I won't be alone," Preisman added. "It will be a challenge to integrate into the culture." Preisman said she wants to go on to get her doctorate and become a psychologist, explaining that the Peace Corps will be another asset on her resume. "It's not people running away from society," she explained. "It's two more years of experiences." Preisman is also looking for an new outlook on life. "I'm hoping I'll be able to see things from a different perspective, instead of looking at the world through Western lenses," she said. Preisman recognizes that while there may be core similarities between working with addictions in the United States and abroad, there will also be cultural differences that come into play. "I have to try not to bring Western bias into the counseling," she said. "I have to be careful not to impose Western values on their culture." Carole Okun, a graduate student in the School of Social Work, is also anticipating cultural variances. She said she is excited that she will be living in and learning about a different culture. "I think I'll gain an incredible amount of knowledge about people living in another culture," she said. Okun will be working on a community project in an English-speaking country in Africa. By volunteering her time, she is combining her interests in travel and in social work. "I will help people get resources in their community," Okun emphasized. "I'll sit, talk, listen and observe people, and help them get what they need. My job is not to do it all for them." Okun likes the sense of adventure that is cultivated by not knowing exactly where she will be and what she will be doing. "I'm leaving it up to fate," she said. "Fate has taken me this far in my life and everything has been pretty positive." While Okun is very curious about being outside the Western environment, she feels that volunteering will also entail some difficulty. "The most difficult part for me, will be finding replacements for the things I enjoy here," she said. "But I'll have to use my imagination and find new things." Okun admitted that she would definitely miss American food, especially pizza. Despite the changes she will have to face, Okun explained that this was her only opportunity to volunteer. "Once you get settled in a job it's hard to leave," she said, echoing the sentiments of Lathrop. "If I don't do it now, I don't know if I'll ever do it."