After graduation, some students move back home, some start careers and others go back to school. Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) do something much different; they dedicate 27 months of their lives to making a difference in another country while living their life like the locals.
According to Jessica Mayle, public affairs coordinator of the Peace Corps, Miami University is ranked No. 11 out of all of the medium size universities for having the most students apply and join the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps has 28 Miami graduates currently in the field. Ohio is also ranked No. 10, out of the 50 states.
The Peace Corps motto is 'it's the toughest job you'll ever love,' and Mayle said the Peace Corps' volunteers are people who love to give and help others.
"The Peace Corps is looking for students who want to make a difference," Mayle said. "The two years they spend in another country gives people the experience to help launch their career."
Some Miami students get the idea to join the Peace Corps after recruiters visit, during field experience or some simply get the idea on their own.
Senior Francesca Palmer is one student who decided to join the Peace Corps without going to any of the recruitment visits.
"I love to travel, I love to talk to people and I am the type person who wakes up and says 'I am going to do this,' and does it," Palmer said.
In May 2012, Palmer began to research the Peace Corps and then decided to submit an application. She leaves for the country of Malawi in southeast Africa June 18, and she will be living there for two years. Palmer said she believes that young people in general feel rushed to find a stable job after graduation, when they need to start taking chances.
"I was surprised to hear that Miami is ranked, there are so many students that are concerned about their future and well being," Palmer said. "They are too rushed to get into the real world."
David Szaronos, who graduated from Miami in 2008 with a degree in finance, was one of those rushed people. Immediately after graduation he moved to Chicago and got a job as a consultant. He soon realized that the job was not the best fit for him.
"That was the first time I really took stock of who I was and what I wanted from a career," Szaronos said. "Once I looked into the Peace Corps, I realized it had so many of the things I wanted for my life and my career-excitement, helping others and having international exposure."
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Miami graduate of 2011 Christina Zielke felt that her time at Miami influenced her decision to serve in the Peace Corps because she was able to see Peace Corps work on the ground through several of her field experiences.
"In Dominica during a field experience on ecotourism and sustainable development, I was able to help a Peace Corps volunteer serving there with a book drive project," Zielke said.
Zielke was also doing field study through Miami's geography department on the Kenya's biodiversity, and her guide had started his own non-governmental organization and was applying for a Peace Corps volunteer to assist him.
"The experiences allowed me to see first hand the type of work the PCVs around the globe were doing," Zielke said.
Palmer, Szaronos and Zielke all said they believe they have made the right choice and recommend that students apply and join the Peace Corps.
Since Palmer is still in school, she can easily relate to many of the current students, and she recommended that they do plenty of research before starting the application process. Zielke suggested students get involved both on and off campus.
"The best way that anyone could prepare for life as a PCV is through spending time abroad prior to service," Zielke said. "Take advantage of Miami's superb study abroad programs."
For those interested in joining the Peace Corps or finding out more information, Mayle gave some final advice. She suggested meeting Katie Sylvester, who is a Peace Corps field-based recruiter who will be visiting Miami Feb. 13 and 27.
"Even if the students have slightest interested they should talk to Katie because she is a returned volunteer and she'll tell her story and answer questions for interested students." Mayle said.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.