Tomlinson’s Library’s Cultural Cafe series continued with a presentation on the Peace Corps from a handful of university faculty. In total, there were seven faculty members who discussed their experiences and what they learned from their time abroad serving their country.
The Peace Corps is a civilian volunteer program funded by the United States government focused on international development and promoting peace and friendship around the world through grassroots efforts. Volunteers, like those on the panel, serve in various sectors such as education, health, agriculture and community development.
Peace Corps volunteers like professors Nick Bardo, Joanelle Morales, Blake Bickham, Allison Morris and Jeremy Tost as well as Head of Instruction Librarian Anne Bledsoe and Director of International Students & Programs Annie Gingerich spoke at the event.
“The first goal is to help interested countries in getting their aid for trained men and women. The second is to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of people served. The last one is what we’re doing here today to help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans as Peace Corps volunteers,” Bickham said.
Volunteers serve for a period of two years, during which they live and work in the communities they serve, often learning the local language and culture. While volunteers are ostensibly sent to teach other individuals in different cultures skills, volunteers end up learning just as much being completely immersed in a foreign country and even a little about themselves.
“The most interesting part for me about immersion was how much it taught me about myself, and about what I took for granted as being normal behaviors. You’re really not conscious of a lot of those until you’re forced to kind of look at it through some kind of contrasting perspective. It got me thinking about my relationship with my family and to education and to all these different pieces that cast a new light,” Bardo said.
Listeners at the event learned not only about the inner workings of the Peace Corps but also some cultural tidbits about countries like Kiribati, Guatemala, China, Poland, Honduras, Moldova, and Uzbekistan.
“These events are important as they highlight the diversity on our campus and the unique experiences that international students and those with international travel and experience bring to the campus culture and community. These events promote cultural competency and awareness through sharing about cultures and countries that many of us may never travel to,” Annie Gingerich said.
Besides teaching attendees about the cultures and people they interacted with, another goal of the event was to show Colorado Mesa University (CMU) students an alternative to typical full-time jobs. Students who may not know what to do after graduating college can look to the Peace Corps as an avenue of employment and rich experience.
“I attended the recent Cultural Cafe because I will be participating in the Peace Corps myself in August. I will be going to Mexico and serve as an English co-instructor at a university. I went to learn more about the experiences of other people and give me more insight of what I could potentially experience myself. I hope that my own experience will be just as positive and something that I can share with others in the future just as the speakers did,” Senior Spanish: Hispanic Studies Major Caleb Garcia said.
The Cultural Cafe was first introduced in 2017, making 2024 the seventh year that the event has helped to spread diverse perspectives to the CMU community.
“Cultural Cafe is a way that we can bring a taste of what exists outside of our university to students to build a better understanding of the world around us. I hope that I am able to attend more of these events in the future because I really enjoy learning about different identities of the world,” Garcia said.
The last Cultural Cafe of the semester was held on April 9 and featured students discussing their study abroad experiences.
Each Cultural Cafe features a presentation on a particular culture or experience from around the world, and also serves attendees light, authentic fare. They’re usually held a couple of times every month. You’ll be able to find announcements for the Cultural Cafes next year in your This Week @ CMU and library events emails, as well as posters and the Stall Street Journal.
