Earlier this month, Dr. Arthur McMahan of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities moderated a Federal Service Panel on the Florida A&M University campus, which featured panelists from the Peace Corps, the Department of State, USDA, City Year and the Fulbright Scholar Program.
Peace Corps was joined by other federal agencies and non-profit organizations, including the Department of State, the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, USAID, City Year, and the White House Initiative on Historically Black College and Universities, to discuss the opportunities and benefits that result from international service.
Florida is the fourth highest Peace Corps volunteer-producing state in the nation, with 299 residents of the Sunshine State currently serving overseas. Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, 7,842 Floridians have served overseas.
There are currently five FAMU graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Nepal and Zambia and 79 FAMU graduates have served overseas since the Peace Corps was established.
Savannah State University students and guests posing with the Peace Car.
The Peace Corps and Savannah State University today announced a new partnership centered on an undergraduate certificate program called Peace Corps Prep.
Students in the Peace Corps Prep program, scheduled to launch at Savannah State University on October 31, will combine targeted coursework with hands-on experience, building the competencies needed to be strong Peace Corps Volunteers or other intercultural fieldworkers.
“We are delighted to partner with Savannah State University to give students the opportunity to develop this valuable suite of skills,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “The Prep program will make their undergraduate studies more engaging and professional, and will help jump start their careers through Peace Corps or other globally oriented opportunities.’
At the event for the program’s launch, Savannah State alumnus Myles Lamar, of Stockbridge, Georgia, who is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, attended via Skype to share his experience living and working overseas.
“My biggest accomplishments in the Peace Corps have been exposing people to look beyond what is presented to them through television, social media and other various news outlets and to critically think on things and not take everything at face value,” Myles noted.
Peace Corps Prep will be structured as an interdisciplinary certificate program housed in the International Education Center. Students will learn about and practice leadership, intercultural competence, foreign language, and a professional sector of their choice, such as education, health, or the environment. These skills will give them a competitive edge when applying for Peace Corps service, and can be built upon and marketed through the rest of their careers.
The Peace Corps has Peace Corps Prep partnerships with more than 78 leading academic institutions nationwide. Established in 2007, the program aims to meet the demand for Peace Corps Volunteers with a broad and relevant set of expertise, and to support schools’ efforts to provide substantive, globally focused experiences for their students.
A unique feature of the Savannah State Peace Corps Prep program is the ability of program participants to earn a Global Citizenship Certification or Global Citizenship with Distinction, in addition to the standard certificate of completion provided by Peace Corps.
There are 176 Georgians who are currently serving as Peace Corps Volunteers. Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, 3,474 residents of the Peach State have served overseas.
After one week on the road, the Peace Car has already built quite a following on its two-week tour of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the East Coast. Check out what people are saying about the tour and look out for the #PeaceCar coming to a campus near you!
The Peace Corps is recruiting during #HBCUWeek2016 and beyond. You might see them on their trip down the east coast in their #PeaceCar. pic.twitter.com/
Savannah State alumnus Myles Lamar, of Stockbridge, center, is currently teaching math and chemistry to secondary school students as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania.
When he first arrived in Tanzania to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Myles Lamar took on the challenge of teaching math and chemistry to ninth and tenth graders at a local secondary school. Since then, living and working in his community for the last year, the Stockbridge, Georgia native has found that education thrives on stepping outside of the comfort zone – usually when it’s applied from both sides.
“My favorite part of service is my students, those that break out of their shells and aren’t afraid to try something new just because the concept is foreign to them,” Myles said. “It’s also when they inadvertently teach me things about life and myself without even trying to do so.”
After graduating from Savannah State Unversity in 2015 with a STEM degree, Myles felt compelled to improve the lives of people with diverse origins overseas.
“I was motivated to join the Peace Corps because I wanted to offer exposure and opportunity to individuals of less sanctioned backgrounds, in whatever way they needed it,” Myles said. “Also, I wanted to annihilate the myth that the Peace Corps is made up of white Americans to prove that Volunteers of Color are of service as well. While our numbers tend to be fewer, we are here serving, have served and will continue to serve.”
As part of his Peace Corps service, Myles has launched a number of secondary projects that will enrich the lives and education of his students, including the establishment of a regional spelling bee across nine schools and the construction of three science laboratories at his school.
Outside of his service projects, Myles has assumed the major responsibility of cultural ambassador by introducing neighbors in his community to the richness and diversity of American culture.
“My biggest accomplishments in the Peace Corps have been exposing people to look beyond what is presented to them through television, social media and other various news outlets and to critically think on things and not take everything at face value,” he noted.
Acting on Myles’ example, Savannah State recently launched its own Peace Corps Prep Program – in which current students may enroll in coursework geared towards international development with the expectation of pursuing that field after graduation – as a way to encourage more students to foster cultural exchange overseas.
“As an alumnus of Savannah State University, I love that this program is coming to surface,” Myles noted. “This program will definitely help with the school’s progression into becoming an even bigger and better university.”
Looking ahead, Myles hopes to instill a significant sense of ambition in his students so they may feel empowered to serve their community even after he completes his service.
“I want my students to learn that just because you do not necessarily come from a land of wealth and opportunity does not mean that you are limited by those circumstances. I want to show them that they can be great within their own country, helping to develop their place in it as well as that of their own people, and have it one day be among the greatest of national powerhouses.”
Myles will share more of his experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer during the Peace Corps Prep launch event at Savannah State University on October 31st.
Peace Corps Deputy Director Carlos Torres, right, sat down with Rohan Williamson, interim dean at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, as part of the school’s launch of its new Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program.
The Peace Corps and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business today announced the launch of a new Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program that will provide graduate school scholarships to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. All program Fellows will complete internships in underserved American communities while they complete their studies, allowing them to bring home and expand upon the skills they learned as volunteers.
“We are delighted to partner with Georgetown University to support our Returned Volunteers as they pursue higher education and continue their commitment to service,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Communities are moved forward by the selflessness of volunteers, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have unique skills and experiences to offer their local communities.”
Fellows selected for the program will receive an application fee waiver ($175 value), a minimum of a $10,000 tuition scholarship per year for each of their two years in the Master of Business Administration program, totaling $20,000 in scholarship. Fellows are eligible to apply for potential Graduate Assistantships, and will also be considered for additional funding based on merit qualifications.
“We are pleased to align our Georgetown tradition of being women and men for others and finding creative solutions to the world’s problems with that of the Peace Corps,” said Rohan Williamson, interim dean at the McDonough School of Business. “Through the Coverdell Fellows Program we can work with Returned Volunteers to build upon their global experience and desire to serve.”
Through their internships, Coverdell Fellows apply what they learn in the classroom to a professional setting. They not only gain valuable, hands-on experience that makes them more competitive in today’s job market, but they also further the Peace Corps mission. By sharing their global perspective with the communities they serve, Fellows help fulfill Peace Corps’ Third Goal commitment to strengthen Americans’ understanding of the world and its people.
Fellows will work with the Master of Business Administration Career Center and Global Social Enterprise Initiative to secure internships to complete their Third Goal commitment. In addition, Fellows will be required to participate in the Georgetown Global Business Experience, which allows students to consult for an international company, solving real-world problems for the client.
This partnership is the first university partnership between Peace Corps and Georgetown University.
The Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program began in 1985 at Teachers College, Columbia University and now includes more than 90 university partners across the country, from the District of Columbia to Hawaii to Alaska. The program is specifically reserved for students who have already completed their Peace Corps service abroad. Since the inception of the program, more than 4,500 Returned Volunteers have participated and made a difference across the country. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov/fellows.
To learn more about the Coverdell Fellows Program at Georgetown University, contact MBA Admissions at [email protected] or (202) 687-4200.
Click here to read a first-hand account of the program from Tahira Taylor, a current Georgetown student and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
