Essays

Essay #1

*Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. You have provided information on how you qualify for Peace Corps service elsewhere in the application. In the space below, please provide a statement (between 250-500 words) that includes:

Your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer; and 

How these reasons are related to your past experience and life goals. 

How you expect to satisfy the Peace Corps 10 Core Expectations (rather than addressing all 10 expectations, please be specific about which expectations you anticipate to find most challenging and how you plan to overcome these challenges).

#2 Commit to improving the quality of life of the people with whom you live and work; and, in doing so, share your skills, adapt them, and learn new skills as needed.

#9 Recognize that you will be perceived, in your host country and community, as a representative of the people, cultures, values, and traditions of the United States of America.

#5 Recognize that you are responsible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your personal conduct and professional performance.

During my exit interview from AmeriCorps this past May, I received a parting gift from my bosses - Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, a children's story whose main character had apparently reminded my coworkers of myself. The brilliant words of Alice Rumphius' grandfather struck a chord with me, "You must do something to make the world more beautiful."  My AmeriCorps bosses told me that my purpose in life was to do just that, leave it more beautiful than I found it. To hear something so profound and inspirational from those I respected the most and treasured as role models was an inexplicably proud moment for me.  

My utmost desire is to make those words come true, and so the first reason I want to become a Peace Corps Volunteer is simply to make the world a more beautiful place. I want to be a part of a movement that guarantees that others get what they deserve. I want to see others succeed and the passion in their eyes as they grow and learn. If I can act as an aide for others to be happy and proud of who they are and what they are achieving, then my life has purpose. My family, teachers, bosses, and friends have been the catalysts that have allowed for the success in my life. If I could in turn be that positive person, for just one individual, then the world would be more beautiful. Core expectation #2 is clearly no walk in the park, but with my positive attitude, dedication, and passion, I believe that I will have a hand in improving the quality of life of the people with whom I live and work with.

I also want to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer because this world is so large, so vast, so beautiful. Exposing yourself to a new place and culture, is so important. While studying abroad in Italy, I learned that sometimes not knowing a language or customs of a region can allow for judgment; however, it can also allow for understanding. Simple things like bagging apples at a grocery store, American customs for handling this task were vastly different from the Italian customs. I graciously apologized for my misunderstanding and they helped me through it. Being accepted into a different community and culture may not be easy at first which is why I anticipate Core Expectation #9 would be a challenge. However, with a kind, respectful, open attitude, and an eagerness to learn, I know that I will represent the United States of America in a beautiful light.

Finally, I want to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer because I want to push myself to be the best version of me possible. This world has so much to teach me, so many opportunities to offer me, and I want to continue to grow. I realize that the 27-months of service will be difficult - they will challenge me in ways unthinkable, making Core Expectation #5 a difficult one. But by being a Peace Corps Volunteer, I will make the world a more beautiful place, and the world will in turn make me a more beautiful person. It is that very principle that will make the Peace Corps journey utterly invaluable to me.

Essay #2

*Your success as a Peace Corps Volunteer is based on the trust and confidence you build by living in, and respectfully integrating yourself into, your host community and culture (Core Expectation 4). Describe in between 250-500 words an experience you have had living or working in a social or cultural environment different from your own. What specific challenges did you face concerning trust, confidence, and/or integration? What did you learn from this experience that you will bring with you to your Peace Corps service?

As a blonde haired, blue eyed, 5’3”, 18 year old female, I transferred to Temple University in January of 2011. Temple University is located in North Philadelphia where non-hispanic caucasians constitute a mere ten percent of the population.  I arrived in Philadelphia, not wanting to be a white superhero with the impression that I could single-handedly change everything, but simply wanting to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

As a college educated, middle class female, sure I stood out to the locals, sure they were initially skeptical of me, but I knew that it wasn't just my skin color that was the issue.  It was what my skin color had afforded me in life. But by letting my guard down, by opening my heart, and by exposing my passion for equality, I felt that the residents of North Philadelphia would be able to realize that my goals and desires for the community were in clear alignment with theirs.  In order to reveal my character and achieve my purpose, I joined an AmeriCorps program, truly becoming a member of the community in which I lived.

Walking into my Jumpstart (AmeriCorps program) Classroom for the first time, I was greeted with the skeptical gazes of uneasy preschoolers.  With just a few warm smiles and friendly introductions, these children opened up with a genuine love and trust that only children possess.  They braided my hair as we practiced their spelling, they pointed to my freckles as we read stories, they stared into my blue eyes as we embraced - and that's when I realized that relationships had formed, trust had been established, an impact had been made, and ultimately that impact had begun to spread. You see, trust is something that is earned, not given. By treating these children with respect, by educating them scholastically, and by showing them how to respect themselves, I had gained the appreciation of their families as well.  When the grandmother of one of my preschoolers approached me to express gratitude for her granddaughter's educational, social, and emotional progression under my care, I realized that my efforts to integrate myself into the community had proven to be mutually beneficial.

I have a purpose on this planet, and it is to offer loving service. For it is only by serving others that I find true happiness and meaning in my own life.  With pride I sport my Jumpstart shirt, displaying the “Children First” and AmeriCorps logos.  Through passion, dedication, and understanding mutual respect is earned.  I am confident that my interpersonal skills, open mind, and patient heart would make me an excellent Peace Corps Volunteer.