Leslie Linehan
Staff Writer
The Peace Corps has recently experienced a resurgence of interest among college students nationwide.
Last year more than 150,000 Americans contacted the Peace Corps and expressed interest in serving as volunteers, a record number for the organization. This is an increase of more than 40 percent since 1994.
The new interest in the Peace Corps disproves the notion that young people are apathetic, said Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan.
"We hear from young people who explode the myth of Generation X. Instead of the image of grungers who are jaded, cynical, easily bored and not up to the challenges facing this country, we see thousands of young people striving to make a difference."
Jessica Shaw, coordinator of International Student Services at University of Houston Clear Lake, said that she has spoken with many students who have shown interest in the Peace Corps.
"I feel that my students are looking for this type of personal growth experience and want to have the opportunity to travel the world," said Shaw.
Shaw is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who worked as teacher and with youth development on the island of Pohnpei, the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia. She served in Micronesia from 1991-1993, leaving for her assignment three days after graduating from college.
"I joined the Peace Corps because I wanted to make a positive difference in the world and I wanted to experience living in another culture," said Shaw. "I also thought that joining the Peace Corps sounded like a really cool thing to do."
Her experience in the Peace Corps changed her outlook on life and the world.
"I no longer see myself as an American. Instead, I see myself as a world citizen interconnected with all of the world's people and cultures," Shaw said.
Cheryl Murphy, a senior anthropology major, was accepted by the Peace Corps in March. She will be leaving for Burkina Faso in West Africa to work as a community health coordinator after she graduates in May.
"I want to make a difference in the world," said Murphy. "We are a global community and we have a certain responsibility to that community."
University of Texas School of Public Health doctoral student Ruth Grubesic joined the Peace Corps in 1994 to work as a nursing teacher in Nepal. "I signed up because I care about other people," said Grubesic. "I wanted to learn about other cultures and to see what living is like in another country."
Regardless of assignment, Peace Corps volunteers are likely to face many challenges. Many live without electricity and running water.
"There was nothing I couldn't handle, but I did miss things like having a toilet and cold milk," Grubesic said. The biggest challenge Grubesic faced on her assignments was the crowded living conditions and poor sanitation practices in Nepal that caused her and other volunteers intestinal disorders.
Murphy said she is ready for whatever challenges Peace Corps service may bring. "I know I may not have indoor plumbing, but I will remember my commitment to the Peace Corps. Sometimes we must live by our commitments rather than by our wants and our needs," Murphy said.
In Nepal, Grubesic gained an understanding and acceptance of other cultures. "I came back with so much more than I was able to give," said Grubesic. "My experience gave me an appreciation of other people and it opened up my mind. I now can see more of the whole picture."
Not everyone who joins the Peace Corps has a good experience. Twenty-five percent of Peace Corps volunteers terminate their tour of duty before completing the two years of required service.
"Some people get homesick, or the conditions are not what they expected," Grubesic said. Adaptability is the key to a good experience in the Peace Corps, according to Grubesic.
"You have to be very flexible," said Grubesic. "You may think you are going to your assignment to teach science, but you end up building a new school so that science can be taught."
President John F. Kennedy established three goals for the mission of the Peace Corps: to promote world peace and friendship by making available to interested countries Americans willing to serve overseas who will help people of these countries meet their needs for trained manpower; to help promote a better understanding of the American people; and to promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.
"The Peace Corps is an agency that reflects the most enduring values and ideals of the American people - citizen service, altruism and dedication to the cause of peace," said Gearan.
President Clinton showed a renewed support for the Peace Corps in February when he proposed a 21 percent increase in funding for the organization in his fiscal 1999 budget.
Since Kennedy signed the executive order creating the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined. Today 6,612 volunteers serve in 87 countries around the world. These volunteers provide assistance in education, health and nutrition, agriculture, environment preservation and small business development.
For more information about joining the Peace Corps, contact the Dallas recruiting office at (214) 767-5435.