Kardos’ students, do the Peace Corps or another volunteer program one day? It is an incredible opportunity for cultural exchange - to experience another country and culture(s), outside of your own, and share your culture(s), to strengthen language skills or learn a new language from scratch, to get hands on work experience in and exposure to careers you might be interested in before committing to graduate school or a job, to travel, to meet an awesome community of people, and most importantly, in my opinion, to become more open minded and respectful of other cultures. These experiences of integrating into another culture, respecting and utilizing new ways of doing things, cultural humility, and meeting incredible people will make you a better and more open minded person. I know that it is making me a more conscientious, empathetic, and globally minded human being.
The opportunity to travel and explore the world can seem expensive and daunting, but with the Peace Corps or other programs such as the Fulbright, it does not have to be. As a Peace Corps volunteer you receive a living allowance and your travel to the country and home after service is paid for. While leaving loved ones and home is scary, the connections and friendships you can make with other volunteers, host families, and community members will make you feel confident in your ability to push yourself and be brave in this new experience.
It has been such a pleasure to get to know you all virtually these past ten to twelve weeks and I have loved how engaged you have been and hearing all of your questions and ideas.
