Remembering Roger Lewis (1941–2024)
Roger Lewis' Contribution to the Peace Corps Commemorative was Foundational and Enduring By Jonathan Pearson For years, many within the Peace Corps community desired a presence among the national treasures that are dotted on or near Washington’s National Mall, to recognize the contributions of a quarter million Peace Corps Volunteers and former staff who served our nation. One of those efforts was sparked in 2001 on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol, when Kevin Quigley and his wife, Susan Flaherty, were attending the annual Memorial Day concert. Looking over the National Mall, a conversation began where they lamented...
A Leg Up
Before Taylor Majher decided to serve alongside Ministry of Agriculture representatives as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, she was introduced to the wide-ranging benefits of service through a college campus recruiter. At the time, Taylor had always envisioned that graduate school may be part of her future plans, but she didn’t know what degree she might pursue. That’s when a campus recruiter explained that Peace Corps service could support her higher education pursuits through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, a partnership between Peace Corps and universities that offers financial assistance to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. “The recruiter was...
Why Graduate School?
Time moves fast and slow in the Peace Corps. There’s the blur of training, the slog of setting up at site, and then, just when things start clicking, the race to finish up your projects and cobble together a plan before your close-of-service catapults you back home. After their service ends, about one in four Volunteers pursues grad school, according to former Thailand Country director and former NPCA president Kevin Quigley. The reasons are manifold, from gaining skills and contacts, to launching a meaningful career, and finding kindred spirits in international programs full of returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Mark Gearan,...
Work Huddle
For many Peace Corps Volunteers closing out their service, returning to the United States can be an overwhelming experience. But two years of service in a host country cultivates a broad range of skills valuable to federal agencies that offer an opportunity to continue serving the public. That’s why numerous Returned Peace Corps Volunteers embark on a career with the federal government; in addition, these positions offer community based on shared experiences through RPCV workplace affinity groups. “The purpose of the [workplace] affinity groups is to create a community of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers,” said Colleen Dundas (Malawi 2013–15). “It’s...
Common Cause
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have many things in common: extraordinary experiences, deep friendships, and for many, a spirit of generosity that endures long after their service ends. Thankfully, there are dozens of RPCV groups centered around causes and shared affinities, whether empowering women or resettling refugees, which offer former Volunteers the opportunity to get involved and do what they do best: help people to help themselves. Here are five RPCV groups that illustrate the range of causes that have been taken up by the Peace Corps community. Women of Peace Corps Legacy In 1961, the only surefire way women could...
Location, Location, Location
It’s early December in northern Florida, and the parking lot at John Wesley United Methodist Church is filled with shoppers from Tallahassee and the surrounding Big Bend region. They walk the aisles learning about the 20-plus not-for-profit organizations seeking donations to support their work with the neediest. The annual Alternative Christmas Market has been going strong for the past 36 years, and the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of North Florida (RPCV/NF) has been a key partner in this effort for the past two decades. Group members volunteer to host a table and speak with the public about Peace Corps while...
Country Connections
For many Peace Corps Volunteers, the end of service and the return to the “real world” is a double-edged sword: we’re tired of stomach viruses and happy to once again have access to sushi delivery, but we’re also committed to service and the well-being of the friends and neighbors we left behind. The deep and multifaceted connection we have to our host countries doesn’t stop when we step off the airplane upon returning home, and it’s here that country-based RPCV groups step in, helping us to keep that connection fresh and continue to make an impact long after we leave....
Group Dynamics
Serving in Peace Corps is a transformative experience that often inspires a deep desire to stay connected and continue making a difference in the world. Undoubtedly, it’s only natural for us to form communities with like-minded individuals who share this passion. Both formal and informal groups of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have flourished ever since the first cohorts returned from their host countries in 1963. As the current Affiliate Network Group Coordinator for the National Peace Corps Association’s Board of Directors, I bring a unique perspective to this role. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia from 2000 to 2002,...
Camel Bells Calling
Among the items that Martin Kaplan brought home from his Peace Corps service in the Somali Republic (1962–64) was a koor, or camel bell. Wooden bells like this one were used to help locate camels as they transported people and goods through the bush. Like the nearly quarter million other Volunteers that have served since Peace Corps began in 1961, Kaplan returned with crafts, clothing, artwork, and gifts from his host country. Many of these items are imbued not only with memories, but also cultural and historical significance. In 1999, Kaplan surveyed his boxes of memorabilia —including the camel bell—and...
The Art of the Hit
John Perkins is a New York Times bestselling author, international speaker, and activist. As Chief Economist at a major international consulting firm, Perkins advised the World Bank, United Nations, IMF, U.S. Treasury Department, Fortune 500 corporations, and countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. He worked directly with heads of state and CEOs of major companies. John’s classic, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004) spent 73 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has been published in more than 35 languages. It was a groundbreaking exposé of the clandestine operations that created the current...