My way into service

My way into service The most special thing about Peace Corps volunteers is that they all are from different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, ethnicities and even countries. These individual uniqueness’ have inspired and assisted in great work around the world. I feel like who I’ve become over my life time has just not made me want to serve but has influenced my service. I am from St. Louis, Mo. What I call home is a small municipality not too from the city area. The community is predominantly African- American. It was a place where most people didn’t go to university or work more than blue collar jobs. My household consented of my grandparents, mother, sister and later on my niece. They have supported me in everything without my life and have engaged me to go far even when I thought I couldn’t. Throughout my childhood I had one best friend by the name of Kevin. Where I had grown up no one really understood me and I thought I didn’t really belong but he did understand. He taught me that there will always be someone, maybe not like you but still will stand by your side. My favorite thing to do was to watch TV. Learning about history, science and how others lived, it was my window to the world. School was something that I had enjoyed as well. The courses that I did the best in and enjoyed the most were English and World History. They both allowed me to see and experience a diverse world outside of my own. Showing me that things can be more than what they seem, human expression is beautiful and this world is stored with rich stories of people and cultures. Aside from academics I played football, was in the National Honor Society, JROTC, wrote for the school’s newspaper, I was also senior class president. Just like every other teenager close to being out of high school I wondered about my future. In my junior year of high school, I was given an assignment. This assignment was to write about what I wanted to do in my life. After thinking about it I knew that I wanted to live in other countries and assist others in any way that I could. Researching what I could do Peace Corps had come up. During my research I had discovered that acceptance was competitive. Finding out that a lot of work experience or a college degree was favored I had decided that I would look at other opportunities. I had known for sure I didn’t want to go to college. I just felt that I had enough with school and I didn’t need that to be happy. I thought about moving to another country and doing simple work like cargo shipping or fishing. I didn’t really know what was going to happen but I knew I just wanted to keep moving. One day, the semester before graduation I was walking down the hall way and the college advisor happened to open up her door and stop me. She made me come into her office, then she put eight University applications in front of me. Reluctantly I would go to University. Feeling like it had delayed my plans of travel. At the same time I knew that I wanted to expand my knowledge whether it be through experience or academically. I would find that college would help me more than I had realized. Sense I had decided to go to University my plans to join the Peace Corps were back on. In college my major was Relational Communication studies. I was interested in the study of mankind, the holistic story of who we are and how we interact with each other. My hobby was stand-up comedy. I liked it so much I had started a school organization devoted to it. The way that writing and storytelling was used to provoke emotions and thoughts was incredible to me. Most of my time was spent with my best friends Derrionna, Westley and Fredelle. They have done nothing but love me, show me support, and have become a family to me. I also had enjoyed volunteering during University. I would volunteer at the food pantry, conversational English with foreign exchange students, and just doing anything else I could to help around. In my last year of school, I had studied abroad in England and had travelled to other countries in Europe. I had seen art, monuments and writings that I only had seen in books and TV. It was an incredible experience to travel and learn. During this time, I had applied to the Peace Corps. There was a nervousness over me because I felt that I still was not ready and not competitive as much as others. I felt like I haven’t had enough experiences or have done enough in my life. It turns out that I did. Peace Corps is for any and every one that hears “The call to serve”. There is no special direction to get there. There is no “right” person. There are only people who want to do what they think is right. I had decided years before to join but I know volunteers who had decided right before the end of University and some who decided years later in one moment. For me being selected was determined by who I have become over the course of my life. I wouldn’t be this without the experiences and people that have affected me