Peace Corps offers alternate path

With commencement two months away, many graduating seniors find themselves facing life after college. While some might pursue careers right away, others will spend the next two years trying to save the world.\nSeveral IU students have become part of a select group known as the Peace Corps, a collection of volunteers who spend a minimum of two years working in underdeveloped nations from Asia to South America.\n"I heard about it in high school," said IU graduate student Rob Marek. "I had it in the back of my mind until college." \nMarek traveled to Namibia in South Africa after finishing his undergraduate degree. \n"I interviewed my senior year in college and I heard I was going to be sent to South Africa, and I didn't know I was going to Namibia until a couple weeks before I went," he said. \nLike all other Peace Corps volunteers, Marek's application process was very extensive. Many would assume that the need for Peace Corps volunteers, or PCVs, is in such high demand that they would accept anyone, but that is hardly the case. \n"My senior year I applied, but the application process takes a few months," said IU graduate student John Healey. \nUnlike most PCVs, Healey stayed overseas for three years following his completion of undergraduate school. He was sent to Samoa, an island in the South Pacific, which is not a typical underdeveloped nation.\n"I don't think programs like the Peace Corps are necessary there," Healey said about the island. \nHe added that what Samoa lacked was a stable economy, but it was not as underdeveloped as most Peace Corps destinations. \nAlthough his situation was much different than most PCVs, Healey learned many valuable lessons while overseas. \n"In Samoa, and I've seen it in other countries I have traveled to, they spent a lot more time on a local level; people look out for each other," Healey said. "America could be a lonely place if you're the type of person to seek out a sense of community."\nHealey also realized his luxury as being in the white, male majority in the United States. \n"I got a lot of confidence in myself," Healey said. "I stuck out as a minority; being white is an easy life probably in most countries, but there ... you're in a position where you're not comfortable." \nWhile Marek and Healey have already experienced their two to three years volunteering for the Peace Corps, many IU students are still in the application process.\n"I've been given a lot throughout my life and I feel it's my obligation to give back to the world," said senior Kendra Darnel. \nLike Healey, Darnel will travel to the South Pacific, though her situation is quite different than most.\nDarnel is engaged and wants to travel to the South Pacific with her fiancé. It sounds perfect, but they had to literally change their lives in order to be allowed to do so.\n"To go with someone, you have to be married, so we moved up our wedding a couple of years," Darnel said. "We were planning on getting married two summers from now." \nDarnel said it's a common misconception that joining the Peace Corps following graduation can set back a career. \n"There are a lot of benefits, such as scholarships," Darnel said.\nAlong with the personal benefits, a sense of satisfaction also arises from joining the Peace Corps, Marek said. \n"I think it was one of the best things I have ever done," Marek said. "It was such a meaningful experience, I would have regretted not doing it." \nHealey, too, gained a new perspective through his work with the Peace Corps. \n"When you're in a situation like that, where things are really unfamiliar, I think it forces a person to think about what's fundamentally important," Healey said. \nBoth Marek and Healey have kept in touch with many of the people they met during their volunteering. Darnel, who has yet to venture into the unknown, is already certain she is doing something extraordinary for the human race, she said.\n"If every person does a small bit, then all those bits come together to save the world," Darnel said. "I'd like to think I'm helping to do so." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Karla De Juan Romero at kdejuanr@indiana.edu.