When former Peace Corps chief Jody Olsen, then in her 20s, arrived in Tunisia to teach English to a roomful of teenagers, she feared she had made a mistake.
“My first thought was to head for the door,” she said of the 1966 experience that ultimately set her direction. Instead, she said, “I said, ‘Good morning, Mrs. Olsen,’ and my life began.”
She spoke last week about her years of service to students at the University of Mary Washington’s College of Education (COE) in Seekovec Hall. She wove the themes together, drawing from stories from her long career, including her time as head of the Peace Corps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her international experience, particularly teaching abroad in the Peace Corps, could lay the foundation for a richer career in the classroom.
That’s key for Emma Miller, a higher education major who hopes to take a Peace Corps job next year. If so, she is one of the nearly 300 UMW graduates who have served in government agencies, helped develop countries around the world, and earned Mary Washington 7th place among the top productive small schools. will be joining.
President John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” is a senior at the University of Utah. That’s when Olsen sparked something in her. She enrolled in the Peace Corps, which was formed just five years ago.
She knew she would be living abroad for two years, but knew little else about the upcoming trip. She said she felt she was unprepared for her sudden new life in North Africa, its language, culture, and dress. It forced her to reconsider everything she had ever thought and believed.
But she developed ways to communicate with her students, immersed herself in their world, had tea with the women, laid out rugs, learned Arabic, and earned respect. “It took months,” she said. “I had to make mistakes. I had to listen, listen, listen.”
Her patience paid off. This experience gave me a deeper understanding of people and classroom dynamics, and laid the foundation for my eventual rise to the top of the Peace Corps. She served as director from 2018 to 2021 and made the “hardest” decision of her life in May 2020 to shorten the service of all 7,000 volunteers and send them home. .
2,500 people are back in the field, making a difference in 58 countries. Two-thirds of them teach, Olsen said. Some choose fields such as healthcare or agriculture.
UMW junior Savannah Shinor listens as Olsen talks about her time in the Peace Corps. Sinor, who is majoring in international affairs and French, also hopes to have her join the Peace Corps.Photo by Suzanne Kerr Rossi
Most of the students who came to hear Olsen speak were education majors, but some were studying other subjects, including history, international affairs and environmental science.Photo by Suzanne Kerr Rossi
Dean of Education Pete Kelly listens as former Peace Corps chief Jody Olsen speaks to a crowd of students about the importance of overseas service. Photo: Suzanne Carr Rossi.
Olsen, who currently teaches at the University of Maryland, took his girlfriend to Mary Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 3, after attending a Rappahannock River Area Community Foundation event at the Jepson Alumni Association Executive Center. I shared the story twice. A message to the students.
She addressed the process and benefits of joining the Peace Corps, including thousands of dollars worth of scholarships toward graduate school, and welcomed comments and questions.
“Having international experience makes us stronger as teachers and administrators,” she said, agreeing with COE Dean Pete Kelly, who spoke of his volunteer work in the Polynesian country of Tonga. did. The opportunity to absorb another culture is “a great gift, especially in education,” he said.
Savannah Sinor, a junior at UMW majoring in international affairs and French, hopes to be on the receiving end of that gift, starting with a study abroad trip to Guatemala next year before moving on to the Peace Corps. “I’ve always wanted to help people,” said Sinor, when asked how she could make her application stand out. “I think the Peace Corps is a great way to do that.”