March 11, 2021
Peace Corps
The experience of a lifetime
PAGE 6
Getting involved with the Peace Corps is a decision that can lead to lifelong memories and unique opporunties to help others. By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo
P
eace Corps Volunteers range from virtually every background imaginable -- the one constant, however, is their shared love of community and service to others. The stories of each individual who made the decision to volunteer are all unique, given there is no one path a person can take on their way to service or affiliation with the organization. There are many ways to become involved; one particularly intriguing way, for students especially, is to become a campus ambassador. Randi Dermo served in Ecuador from 20172019, and is the Regional Recruiter for Vermont and Massachusetts. Dermo is looking for a student to represent the Peace Corps on the College’s campus. “Campus ambassadors work closely with the recruiters in the area, to develop and foster relationships between the Peace Corps
and new and diverse student organizations on Springfield’s campus,” said Dermo. “The application goes live on March 1, and I would love to work closely with Springfield students and spread the word of Peace Corps. It’s a great opportunity for an undergraduate to have connections with federal government agencies, work to promote an organization’s mission, act as a liaison, so it’s also a really great opportunity for the student,” said Dermo. Other than becoming a campus ambassador, another obvious way to get involved with the Peace Corps is becoming an in-country volunteer. It is unsurprising that there are even a few alumnus of Springfield College that have gone on to serve with the Peace Corps, and many volunteers who now associate themselves with the College after their service has ended. During Dermo’s service, she worked with English teachers
Randi Dermo with students in Ecuador. (Photo Courtesy of Randi Dermo)
at a K-12 public school. One of her initiatives involved creating a curriculum for a cheerleading summer camp whose goal was to teach English through cheerleading. Students from fourth-through-sixth grade were invited to attend, with 50 students partaking overall. “It was just really a great experience, I collaborated on carrying out this project with several of the English teachers at the school, and a couple of other volunteers in the area
came to help me out, and the students learned cheers in English,” said Dermo. “They also learned a choreographed dance to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off,’ and they participated in gender equality sessions along with team building exercises. It was just a really great way to bond with the students,” she said. Other volunteers from the Peace Corps have a variety of missions, similar to Dermo’s, of youth development programs.
Tammen Nicholson (G’10) is a graduate of Springfield College’s Sports Management program. Nicholson served with his wife, Bridgit, from 2015-2017 in Lesotho, South Africa, working on youth development projects. Nicholson said that he and his wife made the decision to join a few years after already graduating from college, making them a sort of anomaly amongst their peers. “I think for most people, they wind up doing Peace Corps immediately
