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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018
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A set of corps values Returned and prospective members discuss Peace Corps BY TRAVIS MAIDEN Staff Writer Sophomore Clara Wolf knew she wanted to join the Peace Corps since she was a mere middle schooler. “It sounded like an incredible opportunity to learn so much and to help in some way, even if you can’t save a community,” Wolf said. “I think every bit helps. I think I can help.” In contrast with Wolf, a prospective Peace Corps member, returned Peace Corps Volunteer and linguistics professor Mary Shapiro said she volunteered in the Peace Corps 30 years ago in Morocco. Shapiro said Peace Corps has three missions to accomplish. “The first mission is to provide skilled services to the rest of the world,” Shapiro said. “The second
learn about the rest of the world — because you can learn that in a book, you can read and can learn facts — but just the experience of it and how it feels to live there,” Shapiro said. “You’re not just a tourist, you’re actually a member of that community, and that’s an incredible experience.” Wolf said she became interested in joining the Peace Corps after attending several of Peace Corps Prep Program meetings and listening to returned Peace Corps Volunteers and their past experiences. Wolf said she looked into different organizations like AmeriCorps, but she said she decided on Peace Corps because its core beliefs paralleled with many of her own.
I think the biggest thing for Peace Corps Volun“teers is it isn’t what they learn about the rest of the world — because you can learn that in a book, you can read and can learn facts — but just the experience of it and how it feels to live there. You’re not just a tourist, you’re actually a member of that community, and that’s an incredible experience.
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-Mary Shapiro, returned Peace Corps volunteer and
linguistics professor
mission is to present a good face of America to the rest of the world so they won’t hate us. And the third mission is to bring the rest of the world home, so we can know about the rest of the world and share that [experience.] We need to do that for the rest of our life.” Shapiro said she was an education volunteer in El Jadida on the Atlantic coast of Morocco in a fairly new school. She said she helped Moroccan colleagues develop curricula for newly offered English classes and tried to raise donations to build a small library. Shapiro said education volunteers have secondary projects during their
“The thing about Peace Corps … that really spoke to me was that a lot of projects focus on for or helping, but this is you’re working with and living with the people of the community,” Wolf said. “So it focuses on working together versus [me helping them,] it’s us helping each other.” Wolf said she thought it would be an amazing experience for her because she wants to work in a public health center. She said she was debating about whether or not to get a master’s degree in public health and working in that field or going to medical school. She said the organization could help prepare her for
Photos by Travis Maiden/TMN
Linguistics professor Mary Shapiro stands with her Peace Corps flag in her office. Thirty years ago, Shapiro worked with the Peace Corps in Morocco, and she now leads informational meetings about the program. meet new people that I would never ever meet without Peace Corps and to live with them and see from their perspective to try and gain a better understanding of conditions around the world.” Lindsey Dunnagan, assistant professor of art and returned Peace Corps Volunteer, said she worked with artisans to develop small businesses because she had worked with lower-level galleries before she joined. Dunnagan said she taught weavers how to naturally create dyes rather than use synthetic, neon-colored yarns that were sold. She also helped with workshops that taught people how to boil wool, add the aluminum and then add different plants for colors — like matter roots for red or pomegranates for yellow. Dunnagan said she now uses these same natural dye recipes her for her own artwork. Dunnagan said she had a host family who she stayed with while volunteering in Morocco in a province named Azilal. She said she misses them and the friends she made there. “I learned that everywhere you go, no matter how different the culture may be, you can deeply connect with people and love them,” Dunnagan said. “I learned that humanity is
pretty similar — I mean, I went to a place that seemed very different from home, but I found a lot of similar types of people there.” Dunnagan said some experiences were uncomfortable because she was coming from the US, a place where everything someone needs is easy to get. She said even though the whole experience was challenging, it built character and it made her more creative and selfsufficient — now she doesn’t need to ask as many questions to figure things out. Dunnagan said serving in the Peace Corps was a special experience that helped her learn about poverty and different cultures that she wouldn’t have been able to understand without the organization. “I think the Peace Corps is a program that is vital for us to continue,” Dunnagan said. “I think it really helps America understand other cultures and helps other cultures understand a little something about America. I think the idea behind it is really beautiful, but I know it is not for everyone. I think if you’ve always wanted to join the Peace Corps, then you should.” Shapiro said the next informational meeting for the Peace Corps Prep Program is 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Student Union Building Alumni Room.
Sophomore Clara Wolf plans to graduate in 2020 and join the Peace Corps. Wolf has wanted to join the Peace Corps since middle school, when a recruiter came to her school. time because of semester breaks, and she worked with water engineer Andy Anderson to write a proposal to the Moroccan ministry and the Peace Corps asking for health-education volunteers, which was successful. Shapiro said the Peace Corps offers a cultural experience which helped many volunteers figure out what they want to do with their lives, including herself. “I think the biggest thing for Peace Corps Volunteers is it isn’t what they VOLUME 109
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future work because it could help her gain a different perspective of cultures and people. Wolf said she will apply to the Peace Corps before she graduates and hopes to be placed in a position in the health field but would also consider education because she enjoyed teaching. “I wanted to get a new perspective, I think, on how I see things and how I view the world and different issues of the world,” Wolf said. “I want to tmn.truman.edu
Assistant art professor Lindsey Dunnagan stands in front of a painting in her office. Dunnagan is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who spent time in Morocco teaching useful artistic techniques to local citizens in Azilal.
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