Application Essay, 2

Past, Passed to the Future

This past October, my community experienced an extreme emotional devastation where seven of our youth horrifically lost their lives in a murder/suicide. For what felt like an eternity, time in my hometown completely stood still. One survivor serves as a constant reminder of the tragedy.


While this horrific act took a little out of everyone involved with my hometown, it gave us a little something special too; it made us realize how lucky we were to be such a close-knit community. In our time of need, we all came together. The comfort and support everyone provided gave us the faith we needed to ensure we would prevail and be alright. Even though we suffered an extreme loss, we were all reminded of how precious life is and we were re-connected by a tie that would be forever bound.


Growing up in a small, close-knit community gave me the privilege of learning first-hand the advantages and disadvantages of being able to walk down the street and greet everyone by name. The greatest advantage about my community is while our numbers may be few, are strength is immense, especially when we band together. People in my community have come together to celebrate local festivities, confront the threat of a copper and zinc mine, and to respect the cultural differences of two local Native American tribes. However, our greatest strength has always emerged when community members were in times of need.


I want to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer to comfort and support those in need while inspiring them towards a greater goal. I want to see life from a completely different point of view, experience a new culture and positively impact others. I want to live a life that focuses on what really matters; like all the smiles that simple joys may bring.


My past experiences, have caused me to reflect on my character and helped me to see myself as devoted to a greater cause. I am a person who loves to learn, seeks adventure, and has a strong desire to become fluent in a new language to the point where I am able to understand the nuances. I work best under pressure, can juggle multiple obligations, will succeed with multi-tasks, and treasure meaningful relationships. Most importantly, I have goals, enjoy working hard, and love being a part of an organization that is making a difference. Through my personal life, school experiences and two years of AmeriCorps service I have had a taste of what life has to offer and in the process learned essential living skills. I view Peace Corps service as a natural progression for continuing to serve others and personally grow.