Reasons to join the Peace Corps

I submitted my application for the Peace Corps but I realize that i might push that back for another couple of years until I finish my Master's degree. I've already started thinking about it now and I've been thinking about good reasons for joining the Peace Corps in the future. Some ways that I would think about my best time serving is thinking about Peace Corps values, using my skills from school to improve the community in my host country and think about fun ways to document my stay. 

Peace Corps values world peace and friendship. Therefore, I would use my time there to think about how I would best include others in service and practice. I would look to participate in classroom discussions. Seek out cultural exchanges and share values that are meaningful to volunteers and hosts alike. 

As I think about what is meaningful, I will seek to use my skills that I learned from school to improve my host community. Since I studied a bachelor's in Mass Communications and am seeking my master's in documentary photogprahy and photojournalism, I would help others improve their English skills. Moreover, I would encourage others to use art and photography to find their voice and share their meaningful stories with the world. Everyone has a story to tell and they should feel empowered to share what is important to them through their words and their lense. 

As I seek to encourage, I will look for my own stories too. I tend to fancy candid shots, as inspired by Henri Cartier Brensson who sought to capture the decisive moment. I feel these stories are more authentic than posed portraits because they steal a moment in time while telling the true story without being noticed-- kind of like being a fly on the wall. 

For example, if I went to Costa Rica, I would capture the smiles of kids playing in a group after school. 

If I went to Colombia, I would capture my host mother preparing a meal for a large group. 

If I went to Madagascar, I would capture a volunteer with a native animal.

There are lots of stories to tell and I would use my skills to document the authentic story of my time abroad. 

Serving in the Peace Corps would give me the opportunity to bring awareness of my multifaceted culture back home while learning about the host culture abroad. I would help instill values for world peace and friendship while helping others in the community grow their language skills with English, Spanish, and French. I would also want to be an encouragement for storytellers to tell their most meaningful stories.