GREENEVILLE – The community is invited to learn more about the Peace Corps during an upcoming event at Tusculum University.
Dr. Susan Monteleone, left, and Tusculum student Maddie Creswell look at the Peace Corps website in one of the university’s classrooms.
The university will hold “An Evening with the Peace Corps” Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Meen Center lecture hall. The Peace Corps will make a presentation about the agency, and participants will learn about volunteer experiences, have the opportunity to ask questions about service and receive tips about the applications process. In addition, Ketura Roberts, a Greeneville native who serves in the Peace Corps, will be available remotely that night to share her experience and take questions.
“This will be a terrific way to obtain firsthand information about the Peace Corps for those who are potentially interested in joining this excellent agency,” said Dr. Susan Monteleone, associate professor biology, who has organized the event. “The Peace Corps is a highly respected organization, but some people might not know about all of the ways it enriches personal lives. This event will help shed further light on the Peace Corps’ impact and hopefully inspire some people consider applying to serve.”
Two Tusculum student organizations – the Conservation Core and the Kappa Delta Eta chapter of Beta Beta Beta, an honor society for biology and environmental science students – are co-sponsoring the event.
Dr. Monteleone said the idea for “An Evening with the Peace Corps” originated when she met Terrance Fluker, a recruiter for the agency, at Tusculum’s career fair earlier in the year. In speaking with him, she learned there is a program for people of all ages to volunteer with the Peace Corps.
“It is not uncommon for our students to take a hiatus between graduation with their bachelor’s degree and starting graduate school or medical school,” Dr. Monteleone said. “Volunteering with Peace Corps is a valuable experience that prepares them for the next phase of their careers. Also, Tusculum promotes civic engagement and volunteerism. It seems a good fit for us to promote this option with the Peace Corps. Students might not be very aware of the Peace Corps as a potential fit, so this event provides the context and promotes the opportunity.”
In addition, the Peace Corps is a possible route for community members to take as they evaluate their life choices, she said.
The Peace Corps, founded in 1961, serves in 60 countries and has more than 2,600 service sites across the globe. It is a service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.
To learn more about the Peace Corps, please visit https://www.peacecorps.gov/. Anyone with questions about “An Evening with the Peace Corps” can email Dr. Monteleone at smonteleone@tusculum.edu. Additional information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.