Thursday, July 22, 2010

Peace Corps for Life


So, in my “down time” of which there is not much, I have been reading current and old issues of “WorldView” the magazine of the National Peace Corps Association.  In the issue from Winter 2009 there was a great article calling for a reframing of the Peace Corps for the 21st century.  The author, Joby Taylor, Ph.D. put the goals of the Peace Corps best in the following statement: “The Peace Corps, at its best, is a transformative personal experience for our own citizens and their host country counterparts; it is a grassroots development agency offering an effective hand up (not a hand out) in thousands of communities around the world; and it is the smartest “smart power” in our international affairs portfolio.  This integration of goals is the elegant genius of the Peace Corps.”  That, in a nutshell is why I decided to pursue a Master’s International through Cornell University and the Peace Corps.  I am able to couple academic studies, research and field experience into a three-year masters program that I am sure will be not only the experience of a lifetime but also an experience that transforms lives in the years to come.

1 comment: