Upstate New York Resident Begins Peace Corps Service in Paraguay

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New York resident Caleb Rudge will depart for Paraguay on September 21 to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Caleb Rudge, 22, of Big Indian, New York, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Paraguay on September 21 to begin training as an Environmental Development Volunteer. Caleb will live and work in a community to spearhead local conservation efforts and build a sustainable environment.

“I desperately wanted an experience that would push me, not to be bored for a second behind a desk,” said Caleb of his desire to join the Peace Corps. “I am hoping to learn a new language, become familiar with new food, and work in an unstructured environment.”

Caleb is the son of William and Patricia Rudge and a graduate of Onteora High School in Boiceville, New York. He then attended SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in May 2016.

During the first three months of his service, Caleb will live with a host family in Paraguay to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist his community, Caleb will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Paraguay, where he will live and work for two years with the local people.

“I want to learn how to be resilient in the face of diversity, I want to become more independent and self-motivated, and I want to be able to fluently speak Spanish,” Caleb said. “I can’t wait to meet new people, people from a culture so far away and different from my own.”

Caleb will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Paraguay and help Caleb develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give him a competitive edge when he returns home. Peace Corps Volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.

Caleb joins the 416 New York State residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 13,527 New York State residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

Click here to read more about the Peace Corps in Paraguay.