Sophomore Clara Wolf knew she wanted to join the Peace Corps when she was a mere middle schooler.
“It sounded like an incredible opportunity to learn so much and to help in some way, even if you can’t save a community,” Wolf said. “I think every bit helps. I think I can help.”
Wolf said she became interested in joining the Peace Corps after attending several of Peace Corps Prep Program meetings and listening to returned Peace Corps Volunteers and their past experiences.
Wolf said she looked into different organizations like AmeriCorps, but she said she decided on Peace Corps because its core beliefs paralleled with many of her own.
“The thing about Peace Corps … that really spoke to me was that a lot of projects focus on for or helping, but this is you’re working with and living with the people of the community,” Wolf said. “So it focuses on working together versus [me helping them,] it’s us helping each other.”
Wolf said she thought it would be an amazing experience for her because she wants to work in a public health center. She said she was debating about whether or not to get a master’s degree in public health and working in that field or going to medical school. She said the organization could help prepare her for future work because it could help her gain a different perspective of cultures and people.
Wolf said she will apply to the Peace Corps before she graduates and hopes to be placed in a position in the health field but would also consider education because she enjoyed teaching.
“I wanted to get a new perspective, I think, on how I see things and how I view the world and different issues of the world,” Wolf said. “I want to meet new people that I would never ever meet without Peace Corps and to live with them and see from their perspective to try and gain a better understanding of conditions around the world.”
For more information about Truman’s Peace Corps Prep Program, pick up a copy of The Index on Feb. 15.