RPCVs in the news – Peace Corps Worldwide

Israel Collier advocates for Roma minorities in Moldova

May 15 2023

POSTED BY TIM WOMBLES Israel Collier (Moldova 2014-16) never saw herself on the other side of the world in Moldova, advocating for the ethnic Roma population and speaking Romanian, Moldova’s official language, but she always envisioned a life of service. Growing up across from Beaumont High School in north St. Louis, Collier inherited a sense of empathy for others from her dad, who was a mentor to many fatherless children in the neighborhood. “We shared our father with them,” Collier says. “That was foundational for me.” It was in that spirit of service that Collier enrolled at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, earning her BS in biology with a minor in chemistry. While at UMSL, Collier worked as a mentor for multicultural students, volunteered at clothing drives and tutored in French and biology. “I had every intention to become a physician,” Collier says. But while she was in medical school . . .

Vieve Radha Price (Vanuatu) – Founder and Co-Director of TÉA Artistry

May 14 2023

My Career Choice An Interview In Woman Around Town Vieve Radha Price is living proof that our past experiences inform our futures. Before she launched TÉA Artistry, she worked with Nitestar, a theatre company specializing in HIV prevention education and adolescent reproductive health, and then joined the Peace Corps (Tanna, Vanuatu 2000-02), using theatre performance programs that taught young people about sexual health. Returning home, she received the Sargent Shriver Peaceworker fellowship and completed two master’s degrees, one in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, and another in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. She subsequently worked at Search for Common Ground in Washington DC before founding TÉA Artistry. With TÉA Artistry she is able to focus on contemporary issues, truly making this venue a “theatre for social change.” Talk about perfect timing! The company’s new production Being Chaka, will run from May 6 through . . .

PC Response Volunteer Nancy Nau Sullivan (Mexico) writes mysteries

May 11 2023

RPCVs in the news • MICHIGAN CITY, IN — The Lubeznik Center for the Arts presented “Read Between the Crimes: An Evening with Two Mystery Writers” from 5 to 8 p.m. CDT May 5 at 101 W. Second St. Local writers Nancy Nau Sullivan (Mexico 2013-14) read excerpts from her newest book and participate in a question-and-answer session for LCA’s May First Friday event. Sullivan invented the life and times of Blanche Murninghan in her four-part mystery series, which debuted with “Saving Tuna Street” in 2020. Sullivan’s other titles in this series include “Trouble Down Mexico Way,” “Mission Improbable: Vietnam” and “A Deadly Irish Secret,” which will be released July 11. A former newspaper journalist, Sullivan taught English in Argentina, in the Peace Corps in Mexico and at a boys’ prison in Florida. • Nancy has also published The Last Cadilac: A Memoir [2016].

CUMBERLAND by Megan Gannon (Gambia)

May 04 2023

In the fictional coastal town of Cumberland, Georgia, fifteen-year-old twin sisters Ansel and Isabel Mackenzie have lived with their eccentric grandmother since a car accident killed their parents and paralyzed Isabel. Over the past seven years the responsibility of caring for her sister has fallen increasingly on Ansel. However, as she cultivates a romantic relationship with a local boy, as well as an artistic apprenticeship with a visiting photographer, Ansel’s growing desire for independence compromises her ability to care for her sister, threatening their sororal connection, and ultimately, Isabel’s life. Juxtaposing Ansel’s traditional narrative against Isabel’s poetic prose, Cumberland highlights the conflicts between independence and familial duty, the difficulty of balancing the dark draws of the body against the brighter focus of the mind. Megan Gannon was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is a graduate of Vassar College (BA), the University of Montana (MFA) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln . . .

Paul Ebner (Paraguay) Animal Sciences Professor

May 02 2023

“Growing up, I was not involved in agriculture at all,” Paul Ebner, professor of Animal Sciences. “I had never heard of 4-H or FFA or animal science until after I graduated from college.” Story by Nyssa Chow Lilovich • Throughout his career, Animal Sciences Professor Paul Ebner has demonstrated his commitment to global agriculture and food systems in his research and teaching. His path started at Kalamazoo College where he pursued a degree in political science. He went on to complete graduate degrees in animal sciences from the University of Tennessee, a postdoctoral fellowship at Louisiana State University in molecular biology and joined the Peace Corps. It was during his time in Paraguay, South America (1994-96) that he started working with livestock production. He worked in a small rural village with an original focus on water sanitation and eventually directed his efforts to chickens and pigs, receiving funding . . .

Catherine Trevathan (Bulgaria) | New school superintendent

Apr 25 2023

RPCVs in the news Meet Catherine Trevathan, Hillsdale Local’s new well-traveled superintendent By Linda Hall MOHICAN TWP. OHIO − Catherine Trevathan will bring a world of experience to the Hillsdale Local School District when she becomes its new superintendent in August. She has crisscrossed the globe as an educator since graduating from the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, having held positions in Bulgaria, Turkey, the Hopi reservation in Arizona and most recently, the Little Miami Local Schools in Ohio. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of interesting experiences,” Trevathan said. She recalled sitting outside on a starry night with her dad when she was in eighth grade and telling him she wanted to join the Peace Corps. He may have considered it a youthful dream and been a bit surprised following her college graduation when she said to him, “Guess what? The Peace Corps accepted me.” . . .

Kimberly Flowers’ (Bulgaria) career in development

Apr 20 2023

RPCVS in the news Kimberly Flowers (Bulgaria 1999-01) is the executive director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where she advances the institution’s engagement with public policy issues across academic disciplines. Previously, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), she was named the first full-time director for the Global Food Security Program in 2015, and created and directed the Humanitarian Agenda program in 2017. During her time at CSIS, she primarily analyzed the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs and policies that impact global hunger and malnutrition, and became a frequent speaker, moderator, and author on issues ranging from the global food system to humanitarian aid. Ms. Flowers has published in Forbes; Georgetown University’s Journal of International Affairs; and has been quoted in congressional testimonies, Foreign Policy, and the Washington Post. She led a high-level task force on humanitarian . . .

Julia King (Malawi) receives award

Apr 20 2023

Gainesville Ohio City Schools names 2023 Philip Wright Award recipient The Times Published: Apr 18, 2023 Julia King (Malawi 1984-87), a special education teacher at Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy, an elementary school in Gainesville, was honored at Monday’s school board meeting with Gainesville City Schools’ 2023 Philip Wright Award. “I am humbled and honored to serve our community of deeply caring families and educators,” said King, a speech-language pathologist. The award is given annually to educators in the Pioneer RESA region, which covers Northeast Georgia. The award is given annually to educators who demonstrate a strong commitment to improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities. It is named after Philip Wright, an educator who created a legacy of service in the area of special education. Every year, each school district selects a recipient, and all of the winners are presented with their awards at a regional event. “I started as . . .

Fr. William Ryan (Togo) back in Togo

Apr 20 2023

Fr. William Ryan served in the Peace Corps in Togo from 1973 to 1975. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1980. After serving for many years in Hispanic ministry, he returned to Togo in 2006 to become the founding pastor of the mission parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Read more at: www.catholicworldreport.com

Clement E. Falbo (Zimbabwe) | MATHMATICAL MILESTONES

Apr 18 2023

Dr. Clement E. Falbo provides food for thought in an exquisite elucidation of mathematics Mathematical Milestones is about the historical and worldwide progress of mathematics and its uses over the years, especially in the most recent four centuries. The reader learns of the contributions from the Western World, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world. We tell stories about the important work done by the top Mathematicians, both men and women. We show that Mathematics is a branch of the humanities as well as the Sciences; it benefits from growth in other fields, such as business, art and technology. Finally, we reveal that Mathematics suffered its own version of an “uncertainty principle” that mathematics cannot be both consistent and complete, discovered by Kurt Godel in 1931. Dr. Clement E. Falbo was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. After serving four years in the U. . . .