The movie Dirty Dancing was the reason I joined the Corps - Baby Houseman wanted to join the Peace Corps, so I did, too. Nobody puts Baby in a corner of the world. Really, though, it was something that I wanted to do before really understanding what it meant. In college, I looked into it more seriously. UO has a fantastic Peace Corps recruitment program since so many Duck alumni go on to serve in the Peace Corps, so meeting with the on-campus recruiter convinced me to apply.

In college, I began volunteering with the HIV Alliance in Eugene during my junior year and became interested in continuing to do HIV outreach and support work. I served in both Makhushane and Polokwane in the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The Community Health Outreach Project there focused on HIV outreach work and was a great extension of my volunteer work from college.

Being a part of youth camps with fellow volunteers was a great experience. The youth camps were a fantastic way to work with other volunteers while connecting with and mentoring youth. In addition to a youth camp with the school that I worked with in Polokwane, I was also a camp counselor and presenter for a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp (I made the girls in my cabin a great mix CD. Still one of the best mix CDs I've ever made - ask me for the playlist), and a camp for teens focused on healthy behavior and risk-reduction decision-making. I loved working with the students… but I'm an awful teacher who is easily distracted, so camps were really the way for me to go.

One of the most important skills I learned in Peace Corps that I took with me is flexibility. Being able to be adaptable in your work is an important skill, since few jobs are exactly what you expect for them to be. There will always be uncertainty and change, and the ability to adapt and work within that uncertainty has always served me well.