The Facts:
The Peace Corps is an organization that serves the needs of people in many impoverished areas spreading American goodwill. Its director, Aaron Williams, came to speak to University students Thursday evening.
Our Opinion:
The Peace Corps and other service opportunities are an excellent chance to help the world, further a career and find self-fulfillment.
Thursday night, Aaron Williams, the director of the Peace Corps, spoke in SAS Hall to a lively crowd of about 100 people. The Peace Corps, which started in 1961, is calling on the University’s students and all Americans to consider a role of service.
The Peace Corps is an excellent opportunity and has provided many people, including former N.C State students with advancement opportunities.
The fundamental goals of the organization are to meet and train teachers, bring aide to other nations and build goodwill towards the United States. This means going to host countries for two years and teaching English, working on farms teaching agronomy, agriculture, teaching health, AIDS/HIV prevention, setting up programs to correspond with these responsibilities and many other duties depending on the region.
One inspiring story is that of Myron Banks, a University graduate, who majored in agronomy and crop science. Banks worked in Malaysia teaching locals from 1970 to 1980 and was present Thursday night. Banks won the Presidential Award for volunteer recently, a point Williams made sure to mention at the event.
The Peace Corps is a great opportunity for graduating students because the program helps people transition from college into the workforce. It looks great on applications because it is an established organization, the responsibilities are real and because the organization speaks to the highest ideals of everyone, including employers.
Williams noted the Peace Corps trains volunteers in 250 languages and 76 countries.
In a time when the country is divided, Williams noted a strong bipartisan effort to support the Peace Corps and this shows some of the respect the country has for the organization. The work motivates people because one cannot ignore the problems of the world if one experiences them oneself.
If one does not want to go immediately into the workforce or onto graduate school, the Peace Corps offers a meaningful way to gain a greater understanding of your place in the world.
If students are looking and still can’t find a job, or want to defer graduate school for a while, the Peace Corps and other similar organizations can be fulfilling callings in the meanwhile.
