Hey there collegiettes!
No matter what year you are in college, you’ve probably thought about what you will be doing after graduation. Chances are also pretty high that you’ve stressed, or even freaked out about it. To think about leaving this comfortable twilight zone between childhood and adulthood is a terrifying thought. You are handed that coveted diploma, only to be thrust out into the real world and expected to use the skills you’ve been (hopefully) learning for four years.
As a freshman, people might think it’s too early to begin thinking about what life will be like after graduation, but it’s been a concern of mine since Kindergarten. My whole life, I have wanted to help the world in some way—whether it’ s educating people about health, saving endangered animals from poachers, or planting trees in the Amazon, I have always wanted to get out in the world and just do something. At eighteen, I definitely still feel that way. I love travel, learning new cultures and languages, trying new foods, and making new friends. The combination of all of these things has led me to strongly consider joining the Peace Corps after I graduate.
When thinking about the Peace Corps, many people probably conjure up ideas about hippies living somewhere in Africa, teaching English and communing with nature while singing Kumbaya. But this view is antiquated and for the most part, incorrect. Most Peace Corps volunteers are recent college graduates who are looking for a short term way to get out in the world and help, before graduate school or life begins. And for those who think that joining the Peace Corps means giving up showers and electricity, many volunteers are actually placed in large cities, in homes that have cell signal, bathtubs, and television. Other people might think of it more like a two year vacation, and imagine volunteers lounging in a hammock somewhere tropical, drinking something out of a coconut. But this is also incorrect. The self-proclaimed “toughest job you will ever love”, being a Peace Corps volunteer is hard work. Volunteers work with locals in many areas, like agriculture, environmental advocacy, and youth and community development. It is a full time job, where you will be the outsider, you will have to learn a new language, and people may not always be nice to you. However, it is also a very rewarding and enriching experience for everyone involved. Not only do Peace Corps volunteers have a chance to help out in places where help is most needed, the cross-cultural exchange is extremely valuable. It helps locals to gain a better understanding of Americans, besides what they see on television and advertisements, and it helps Americans to better understand people from very different lifestyles. Through working for the Peace Corps, volunteers have a unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a couple years to serve as a representative of the U.S. and share the skills and knowledge they have gained from their education with people who need it.
So even though I’m three and a half years away from graduation, and I can’t say for sure what I’ll even be doing tomorrow, it’s always good to think about what lies ahead. And for me, whether it’s through the Peace Corps or not, what I hope to see in my future is philanthropy and getting out in the world and doing something, with lots of travel and adventure on the side.