Studying abroad for a month or a semester can seem like a long time. Volunteering abroad for a year and a half can seem like forever to some.
The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to help provide assistance to developing countries. Whether educational, medical or economical, Peace Corps volunteers have helped people build better lives, according to the organization’s website.
Some Auburn students have decided to donate their time and join the Peace Corps.
Jenna Platt, senior in agronomy, said her decision to join the Peace Corps was a challenging one, but one she is excited about.
“I really want to work with food crisis issues and farmers in developing countries,” Platt said. “By doing the Peace Corps, I get to have that experience of working in my field before going into my master’s and Ph.D. work.”
Platt applied to the Peace Corps in August 2014 and was contacted in February, when she was asked for an interview. Platt has been preparing to leave for Senegal in west Africa.
“The interview process isn’t what you expect,” Platt said. “It’s more about whether you can handle the experience.”
Volunteers are allowed to pick their top three choices for countries they can be sent to.
“Senegal was definitely my first choice,” Platt said. “I really liked the organization of the program and getting to work with the Senegalese government.”
Volunteers in any country must first go through three months of training in their new country before they are placed with a host family.
While overseas, Platt will be primarily working with farmers and helping them modify and adapt more sustainable practices.
“You are expected to represent the U.S. at all times,” Platt said. “But it’s a cultural exchange. You bring back to the U.S. what you are learning about.”
Brandon McDonald graduated December 2014 with a certificate in nonprofit. He left in April for Georgia, a country just below Russia.
“I’m supposed to help families become financially stable so they can gain employment,” McDonald said. “I didn’t know anything about Georgia before this, but now I understand it’s similar to an eastern European country.”
McDonald worked with nonprofit organizations through most of his college career, which he said is what fueled his desire to expand upon that with the Peace Corps.
“My ultimate goal is to learn about nonprofit work so that I can eventually work for an LGBT nonprofit,” McDonald said.
The hardest part for McDonald, he said, was the week leading up to his departure and having to say goodbye to everyone for the next 27 months.
“It’s the hardest part,” McDonald said. “It’s been very emotional these past couple of days.”
Platt still has a couple months until she leaves, but she also said it has been hard to say goodbye.
One of Platt’s closest friends, Elizabeth Nguyen, senior in biomedical sciences, said she is sad to see her friend leave, but also knows it will be a great experience for her.
“She’s been wanting to do this for a long time,” Nguyen said. “I think it will be a great time for her to really find out about herself without the influences of family and friends.”
Platt said although she is extremely nervous now, she knows the experience will be worth it.
“I think it will help me gain a lot of perspective that we lose in college,” Platt said. “We get focused on college and career and forget what we are getting a degree for.”
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