Throughout my life, I have actively tried to surround myself with experiences that would allow me the chance to make a positive impact on not only myself but, more importantly, on the communities around me. The value of service, as well as the capacity to create sustainable change, are the driving factors that have intrinsically motivated me to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. This drive began when I was a child. My father is the Project Developer for a non-profit organization in Miami, Florida, and since my childhood, he has instilled within me the notion that I have the unique opportunity to help others around the world. I easily adopted this mindset as I began taking on responsibilities that revolved around community service. In high school, I acted on the student executive board of Kiwanis International, a volunteer organization that focused on reaching out to less fortunate communities in my hometown. This sparked my yearning to make a positive change in communities on a more global scale, thus piquing my interest in serving in the Peace Corps.

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My passion for joining the Peace Corps strengthened when I began studying at University of Florida. As a Political Science Major and being a part of the International Scholars Program, my coursework and studies revolved around international current events as well as identifying the various factors involved in international affairs. My courses allowed me to analyze the different perspectives necessary to develop a holistic understanding of the manner in which international events unfold. More specifically, it opened my eyes to the deficiency in the approach that international institutions take to provide humanitarian aid and promote sustainable development in developing nations. At this point, I knew that I had to become involved in these efforts in order to make a considerable difference in the world. Moreover, during my sophomore year of college, I volunteered abroad in Laos with an international organization called Growth International Volunteer Excursions after my sophomore year at the University of Florida. We partnered with our host community of Sop Chem, a village of 300 people, to implement a vital freshwater system. To help solve the village’s drastic water shortages, we piped through 6 kilometers of dense jungle to the region's only adequate freshwater source and constructed a 20,000-liter tank out of 4,000 re-purposed plastic bottles. Furthermore, we worked with our Education Coordinator to plan and deliver English lessons to the children of the village in a classroom setting. My experience working with these children impacted me profoundly, inspiring me to begin the process of receiving my Certification in Teaching English as a Second Language, and I will be teaching English to University exchange students in the Spring of 2018.

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I am mindful of the fact that I will face many obstacles in the Peace Corps, some of the most challenging being the considerable cultural differences and contrasting social norms I will encounter after relocating to a completely foreign environment. I believe that it requires a sense of patience, respect, and open-mindedness to overcome this aspect of the experience. I have learned that being exposed to a different culture has the ability to expand one’s understanding as well as one’s awareness holistically. During my time in Laos, I was fully immersed in the village life; eating every meal with the villagers, working alongside them, going fishing, and playing with the children every day. I was able to cultivate meaningful relationships with the people in the village, eventually connecting despite our cultural differences. This experience allowed me to recognize firsthand the importance of asset-based community development to make real and sustainable change to communities who need it. I would love to be able to continue to spread this change as a Peace Corps volunteer.