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Appalachian alumni share Peace Corps experiences |
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Thursday, 24 January 2008 |
 | Laird
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by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
A degree is not just a piece of paper.
For some students, it is a certificate of success, determination and education that is used to open up possibilities for hopeful entry-level job positions.
However, for over 196 Appalachian State University alumni, a degree has given them the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others internationally.
The United States Peace Corps will hold an information session Tuesday at 6 p.m. in room 421 of Belk Library and Information Commons.
Currently, Appalachian State is ranked 17th in the number of active serving alumni among colleges
and universities with 5,001 to 15,000 students.
First year geography planning graduate student and former Peace Corp volunteer Kyle Laird is the
current on-campus recruiter for Appalachian.
Laird was a participant in Ukraine from 2001 to 2003.
He encourages anyone to apply for the two-year program and promises the experience will change
anyone’s perspective on culture and life.
Appalachian alumna Allison S. Matlack joined the Peace Corps after attending an information session.
“I decided to apply as part of my graduating job search, and Peace Corps just kind of happened, so I
jumped on it,” she said. “It seemed like it was supposed to happen for me.”
While serving in Lesotho, a small country in the middle of southern Africa, Matlack developed a greater
amount of patience and a broader worldview, and she married a fellow volunteer while serving.
Laird joined the Peace Corps after graduating from college as well.
Before signing with the Peace Corps, he graduated from Hampden Sydney University in Virginia with a
degree in economics. He later attended Randolph Community College in Asheboro for photojournalism.
However, his perspective on where he wanted his career to go after participating in the Peace Corps
changed.
“[Peace Corps] helped me to see there is a lot of responsibility in our own country and town, and there
is a lot of work to be done in the community and in society,” he said. “Hopefully, I can make a
difference in a community and a state and country with policies that actually benefit the community.”
Gary L. Walker, a faculty member in the department of biology at Appalachian State, served in
Jankapur, Nepal from 1978 to 1981.
After finishing his master’s at Western Carolina University in biology, he decided to join the Peace
Corps before going for his Ph.D.
His experience shaped his perspective on the United States and on less or undeveloped countries.
He encourages not only students, but also every citizen, to experience viewing the United States from
outside of the country.
“I believe that education is the answer to many of the world’s problems,” he said. “While in Peace
Corps, I also led a very simple existence without the distractions of all the responsibilities that come
with life in the U.S. and our material possessions. This helped reset my priorities for day to day life in
the United States when I returned.”
Jonathan Eadie, a 2006 graduate from Appalachian, is currently serving in Elbassan, Albania as a
Peace Corps volunteer.
He arrived in March 2007 along with 38 others, including two Appalachian alumni, one who graduated in
the 1980s and one who graduated in 2005.
He is working with assisting farmers in spreading the word about a local federation they created and
also with the “roma,” or gypsy community, who are victims of trafficking and other disadvantaged
women and children.
While serving, Eadie’s only compensation is a stipend determined by the standard cost of living for an
“average Joe” in his specific country, Laird said.
Eadie will return in 2009 and benefit from the post advantages of joining the Peace Corps.
Once volunteers return from their assigned country, they receive a re-adjustable allowance to help
them recreate their lives in the states.
In addition, volunteers receive job placement support through numerous offices across the country,
health and dental benefits for 18 months after their service, and a non-competitive status with the
government.
“With federal jobs, you’re placed into a category that gives you a leg up in getting federal jobs within a
year after your service,” Laird said.
Peace Corps has helped more than 187, 000 volunteers find a place to make a difference in the lives of
those in need, and in their own.
“A lot of people go into the Peace Corps hoping to change themselves or the world, and it doesn’t really
happen that way,” Matlack said. “You go in with all these ideals and figure out that if you can just touch
one other life, it was all worth it.
“They tell you that Peace Corps gives you the highest highs and lowest lows of your life, and that’s
really true. It’s not for the weak of heart, that’s for sure - or the weak of stomach!
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