Sweet Briar College senior Angelica Guarino has no fear of the unknown when it comes to her post-graduation plans. “I honestly have no idea where I’ll be living, and I’m not sure if I will before I arrive,” she said of her recent nomination to the Peace Corps. “That’s part of the charm of it for me. The unknown is cool at this young and naïve point in my life.”

Guarino and three of her classmates have been nominated to the Peace Corps, which — if you’re too young to remember “The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love” commercials — is a federal government agency that since the 1960s has sent more than 180,000 volunteers to dozens of countries to work on such issues as AIDS education, environmental preservation, information technology and business development.

Seniors Kelly Crist (left) and Angelica Guarino will begin their Peace Corps assignments this summmer.Of the four Sweet Briar seniors selected, two have accepted Peace Corps assignments; one took a similar job with another agency, and the fourth decided to defer her acceptance. According to Wayne Stark, SBC director of career services, it was a “banner year” for interest in the Peace Corps, with as many as seven of Sweet Briar’s 121 seniors applying.

“Many students from [the Class of 2006] have shown an interest in serving others in the world community,” Stark said. “There has been a stronger than normal interest in the Peace Corps and other service organizations such as Teach for America and Americorps. Out of these interests, it’s the Peace Corps that has attracted the most interest.”

That fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Peace Corps. “I don’t know what’s going on down there,” Heather Lee, Peace Corps recruitment coordinator, said. “[We’re] excited to have the increased interest in Peace Corps programs at Sweet Briar College.”

"There is a real spirit of giving back to the community here at Sweet Briar."
Wayne Stark, SBC director of career services

Peace Corps regional manager Lynn Kneedler agreed. “Sweet Briar students are obviously taking a strong interest in service and in becoming global citizens,” she said, adding that while the mid-Atlantic region has seen a 21-percent increase in applications received over the past year, Sweet Briar applications have increased by more than 100 percent.

“This trend may reflect the students’ interest and commitment to service, their recognition of the significant cache’ Peace Corps service has with future employers, the growing importance of understanding the workings of our global community, and the increase in the number of students who participate in study abroad programs and the horizons opened by this,” Kneedler said.

Stark believes there are a number of reasons for the increase, from the September 11th terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina to the spirit of giving, leadership and community service engendered by the College through programs sponsored by the chaplain’s office, co-curricular life, study abroad programs like Junior Year in France and Spain, and even the tap clubs.

“There is a real spirit of giving back to the community here,” he said, adding opportunities to study abroad have had a big impact on students’ concern for the global community. “A couple of the seniors have said that flat out, that they’ve gone over to Africa or parts of Europe that are in need, and it affected them to want to make a difference in some way.”

As for Guarino — who has never ventured outside the United States — she will be headed to the Caribbean to work in youth development. For the anthropology major from Front Royal, the opportunity to work with youth and be immersed in another culture is what attracted her to the Peace Corps, along with a “terrible case of wanderlust.”

“I really, really, really did not want to launch right into the office track that so many college seniors are scrambling to get into,” Guarino, who would someday like to work for the State Department, said. “The last thing I want to do is feel like I’m wasting these brilliantly open years of my life when I’m young and haven’t settled down yet.”

Guarino’s motivation, however, is not without a nobler component. Although she has no delusions about “changing the world,” she’s passionate about making a difference. “If I can really change the prospects for three or four kids, it will have been worth it,” she said. “If I can show them hope and love face to face, I’ll feel so fulfilled.”

For Callaway resident Kelly Crist, the chance to live and work overseas speaks to one of her “fondest desires and deepest concerns” — how Americans are perceived abroad. “I do hope I will be able to help influence my community’s opinions about Americans and the United States, and that I will be able to show them that despite what they may hear via the media, the United States is not all bad,” she said.

Crist, a double major in international affairs and philosophy, will be writing grants for community development in Africa. Like Guarino, she has yet to receive the exact location of her assignment, but regardless of post — be it in the city or bush — she’s ready for a bit of culture shock, particularly when it comes to technology.

For example, she anticipates not having a computer or a cell phone, so keeping in touch with friends and family could be problematic. “I also think that it will be somewhat difficult to adjust to the food choices, because no matter where I go they will be much different that what I am used to,” she said.

Language is another challenge for Peace Corps and other overseas volunteers. “I actually don’t even know what the language will be,” Guarino said. “It depends on the island. [It] could be Spanish, Creole, French or even Dutch.”

For her first three months in the Caribbean, Guarino will live with a local family to learn the culture and language, and she will also take classes. “Let’s hear it for sink-or-swim immersion,” she said.

Olivia Ungerer will be teaching at The Mayatan School in Honduras.For Olivia Ungerer, the culture and language barriers will not be so great. Although nominated to the Peace Corps, Ungerer chose instead to work as a kindergarten teacher at The Mayatan School in Copan Ruinas, Honduras. She will be granted a living stipend of $225 per month — which she has been told is plenty to live on — and she already has a jump on the language, having participated in Sweet Briar’s Junior Year in Spain program.

Ungerer, a double major in Spanish and sociology from Lakewood, N.Y., said without Junior Year in Spain “I don’t know if I would have the courage to live abroad for a year in such a different setting than I’m used to.”

Crist also believes her experiences at Sweet Briar have equipped her for the challenges ahead. “Sweet Briar has helped to prepare me for the Peace Corps by providing an environment which has fostered my independence, taught me how to think critically, and challenged me academically,” she said. “But most importantly, Sweet Briar encouraged me to be open minded about all things, a trait that will be essential during my time with the Peace Corps.”

Guarino echoed her classmates’ sentiments. “[These] years at college have given me so much more confidence [and] coaxed out this woman who knows what she thinks and why she thinks it. … It’s great. It showed me little glimpses of the world and now I want to chase and explore them all.”