Hi everyone! I’m Natalie, a 22-year-old Madison native, and I am so excited to get to know you all! I graduated from West High in 2020 and went on to earn a degree in journalism and mass communication at UW Madison in 2024.
I’m so thrilled to be a part of your classroom, the very same one I used to sit in! As a Peace Corps volunteer in Perú, I hope I can share a unique perspective and serve as a reminder that your path is yours to choose, no matter how unconventional it may be.
That being said, my path to the Peace Corps wasn’t necessarily smooth – each step was filled with fear, uncertainty and constant reassurances to myself that I could change my mind. During my senior of college, while all my friends were applying for grad school or interviewing for jobs across the country, I had no plan and was dreadfully overwhelmed. I remember wandering through a UW-sponsored career fair at the Kohl Center, walking in circles in my jeans, intimidated by the rows and rows of corporate booths and students in suits clutching laminated resumés. I just couldn’t bring myself to feign interested in the positions offered at those massive companies.
