Students meet to change lives
By Erin Meyers 2/21/06

Mark Kittrell had several reasons to join the Peace Corps back in 2001, but his main goal was to travel to Africa. Instead, Kittrell was assigned a project based in the Philippines. Although he never got the opportunity to travel to Africa, Kittrell said he was still pleased with his experience.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, Kittrell and other Peace Corps representatives answered questions and described their experiences to potential volunteers at an informational meeting held in the MU Student Success Center.

“I really envy the position you’re in. I’m really proud for you,” Amy Spindler a Peace Corps volunteer who served from 2003-2005 said.

Students filled out information sheets as they arrived at the meeting, gathering information through packets and videos and listened to testimonials from several returning volunteers.

Katy Klymus, a volunteer in Benin, West Africa spanning 2000-2002, entered her assignment with eight years of lessons in French. While she began conversing confidently with the locals, Klymus said she realized how much she had to learn of the language from others.

“I can’t explain how much this is going to change you,” Klymus said.

According to Kittrell, Peace Corps recruitment representative, it is important to begin the application process nine to 12 months in advance to the date individuals wish to serve. Once the general application is reviewed and considered qualified, an interview takes place. From this point applicants are nominated for a project, in which they are given a general job description and the world region in which they would be serving. If the candidate accepts the offer, they are then given an invitation, which includes a more detailed description of their assigned project and the exact location of their stay. In most cases, volunteers are the only ones assigned to their communities, with the nearest volunteer 30 to 45 minutes away.

In terms of requirements, potential volunteers are expected to possess three or more months of experience in a specific field of work, including teaching, construction, business or youth involvement. Volunteers are also expected to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in some discipline. According to Kittrell, while these attributes are highly viewed by the Peace Corps, each case is judged individually.

Volunteers serve 27 months for one project in the Peace Corps, with the opportunity to extend their services to three years. In preparations for their stay, volunteers complete basic training for three months in their assigned area, focusing on linguistics, technicalities of the assigned job and culture and information regarding health and safety.

While many are wary of the safety hazards associated with the environment found in the Peace Corps, Kittrell said the organization’s resources impressed him.

“I liked the idea that if something went wrong you had the resources of the entire U.S. government behind you,” Kittrell said.

During the time of service, students have a variety of sources to communicate with those living outside the project area. In most cases, traveling to larger cities is necessary to have access to telephones and high-speed Internet. According to Hans Ibold, a 2003-2005 volunteer, communicating with family and friends can be an adventure.

For the 27 months volunteers serve, the government allots a stipend of $6,075 that is normally dispensed at the end of the service in full. During the time of service, volunteers are given an allowance each month in order to live at the level of the community members, which can mean living without plumbing or electricity. Included in these monthly expenses is the rent for the host family the volunteers reside with, as well as vacation expenses. Volunteers are given two days of vacation each month, in which they can use or save to accumulate longer vacations.

According to Spindler, it is common to hear of volunteers saving their monthly allowances in order to travel the world at the end of their 27 months, moving from Peace Corps site to site.

“We bought Russian chocolates and tangerines so we didn’t save much money,” Spindler said.

A large advantage for students joining the Peace Corps is the deference of student loans during their service. Also, students who have a Perkins loan are forgiven 15 percent of the loan for each year they serve in the Peace Corps. But for many, the experience overshadows all the other benefits of serving.

According to Ashley Crocker, a fifth- year senior marketing major, she is looking to the Peace Corps to give her experiences not available anywhere else.

“I don’t want a real job. I would just like a chance to live in another country for more than six months,” Crocker said.

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