I was 14 when the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, but even then I knew I wanted to become a Volunteer sometime in my life.

My favorite place in my town is our local produce bazaar. 

The whim to join the Peace Corps first came to Colleen Young when she was visiting her daughter, Katrina, who was serving in Peace Corps Malawi, in 1999. 

I cannot remember exactly where we were heading – there is a good chance it was to get some chicken wings for dinner – but I remember the conversation ended with “…so I’ve decided to apply to be a Peace Corps Response Volunteer,” and my father slowly nodded his head and kept driving. 

"America is a combination of different cultures, different people and different ideas." – Jean Park, Peace Corps Ukraine Volunteer

I remember walking out of my school in 2014 on the day of consolidation with a heavy heart not knowing when or if I would return. The answer came a few days later: all Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukraine would be evacuated.

Peace Corps Volunteers trek through mountains, deserts, fields, rainforests and rivers to get to their service sites. Here’s what commuting looks like for 11 Volunteers and returned Volunteers around the world.

To celebrate International Women's Day, World Wise Schools did our part by hosting a webinar entitled “A Woman Who is Changing My Life” to engage middle schools in America with Peace Corps Volunteers and their inspiring female counterparts in Ukraine and Nicaragua.