As I was nearing the end of my time at the UO, I realized that I hadn't found a career path that really excited me. I'd worked in neurobiology labs, at the campus pharmacy, and volunteered at the local hospital, but nothing felt right. So, I visited the campus Peace Corps Volunteer recruiter and told them I'd always been interested in joining ever since learning about it on a nightly news special as a kid. A class I'd taken on cultural anthropology at the UO had brought the idea back to my mind and after talking with the recruiter, I decided to take the jump. I walked for graduation, returned to pack up my apartment and flew out of the United States for the first time less than two weeks later.

I landed in Papua New Guinea and immediately began my service as a local middle school science teacher, where I later implemented the first-ever teacher’s training program in Guinea. By bringing together other volunteers from around the country along with leaders in curriculum design, we taught Guinean teachers hands-on learning techniques that were previously unheard of and I found my passion for managing big programs.

In Guinea, there was this moment when I was teaching a lesson about how a simple circuit works in a flashlight and I could tell that everyone was confused. I asked everyone to write down one question they had. Everyone asked me, "What is a wire?". In that moment I realized that communication isn't just about getting the right words, it's making sure we're starting with the same basis of understanding. The students in my village had never seen wires because they had no electricity. You can't talk about a system where we don't share a common understanding of the components in that system.

Although my Peace Corps experience ended abruptly because the country became unstable politically, it still changed my life drastically. As a direct result of my Peace Corps experiences, I have focused on cross-cultural communication and managing projects and programs throughout my career.