Director of the Peace Corps, Aaron Williams, visited A&T last Friday and met with faculty and students in hopes of enhancing and growing the relationship between the Peace Corps and colleges and universities.
Williams spoke in the library of Webb Hall about the history of the Peace Corps and his vision of new initiatives for the program. He said he wants to first address food security internationally and then doubling the size of the Peace Corps.
Williams said he wants to secure food in host countries by making agriculture a principle sector again in the organization. He intends to build on existing programs in countries and adding new countries to the program in hopes of doubling the organization.
Since its establishment in 1961, the Peace Corps has had close to 200,000 volunteers serve in 139 countries around the world. Currently 76 countries host Peace Corps volunteers.
The Peace Corps currently has 7,671 volunteers and trainees. Only 16 percent are minorities. Williams plans on getting more minorities involved in the Peace Corps by reaching out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and establishing partnerships with them.
“We want a Peace Corps that looks like America,” said Williams.
Williams, a minority himself, was sworn in as the 18th Peace Corps director of the organization and has also served in the Peace Corps himself.
“It’s an honor to be able to serve again in the Peace Corps,” said Williams, who volunteered in the Dominican Republic from 1967 to 1970.
Williams also addressed concerns that are typically raised about joining the Peace Corps.
He said the two-year commitment away from home and family is usually the main issue.
Peace Corps member, Jeff West, served in Ukraine after he graduated from N.C. State.
West said, “95 percent of volunteers have cell phones, which made my mom feel better about me being away.”
Volunteers in the Peace Corps serve a total of 27 months; three months in-country training and the other 24 out of the United States.
“As a volunteer you become a part of that community,” said Williams, who believes safety and security are most important. The host community ensures the safety of volunteers as well.
The Peace Corps also recruits volunteers of all backgrounds. Williams said the Peace Corps do not only recruit people with specialized skills; 85 percent of volunteers hold degrees in liberal arts. Volunteers must be trained in a program sector and study the language of the country they are stationed in before leaving.
There are seven program sectors within the Peace Corps, education is the sector most volunteers serve in and Africa has the highest percentage of volunteers located there. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design chairperson Dr. Louis Jackai, relocated to the states from his home in Africa.
“All of my teachers in high school were Peace Corps volunteers and they are the reason I am in the United States,” said Jackai.
For almost 50 years the Peace Corps have provided volunteers to countries around the world promoting world peace and friendship as well as giving volunteers a new outlook on the world.
“It’s an extraordinary experience and changed my life forever, it is transformative,” said Williams.
- T’Lisha Holmes