CLARY HEADING TO GUINEA WITH PEACE CORPS
July 5, 2011
Emmanuel College alumna, Megan Clary, recently accepted a position in the Peace Corps. Clary is a member of the class of 2011 and a former standout on the Saints’ Women’s Volleyball Team. She will join the Corps on July 8th, when she heads to Guinea, Africa, a French-speaking country on the west coast of the continent. Clary, a Mathematics major at Emmanuel, will certainly put her undergraduate education to use immediately, as she will be teaching secondary math in Guinea.
Her acceptance into the highly competitive program did not come easy. Clary, a native of Cumberland, Rhode Island, underwent an extensive application, interview and recommendation process. Clary’s service will last for 27 months and she plans to return to the United States in September of 2013. Her immediate future in Africa is still somewhat unclear. “I won't find out what part of Guinea I will be stationed in, until a month and a half into my orientation. However, I couldn't be more thrilled to be teaching Algebra to high school students in Africa,” commented the recent Emmanuel grad. Because Guinea is a French-speaking country, Clary will actually be teaching Algebra to her students in French.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps' defines its mission as follows:
To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
Along with teaching, Clary will have another program overseas in which she is active. She plans to use her experience as a collegiate student-athlete to teach volleyball to the children of Guinea. Clary, a four-year player for the Saints and a member of Emmanuel’s 1,000-dig club, is well-suited to coach the youngsters abroad.
In describing her upcoming adventure, Clary expressed both excitement and anxiety. “I have a plethora of feelings about going. I'm really excited to go. I think it's going to be a great opportunity for me, but at the same time I am a little nervous about going away for 27 months to a third world country and being away from my family and friends with little to no communication. I will be living with a host family for the first three months. After that, I will live in my own hut. Electricity isn't the most common thing in Guinea. The capital and larger cities have it, but not many of the small towns. “
With much of the future of the next two years unknown, Clary is optimistic and eager. “I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm hoping for the best. It's going to be a struggle, but I know that I will be able to persevere through it. I'm doing something great for a country that needs help. I always like to keep this in mind."
Clary has been attracted to the Peace Corps since her high school years at Mount Saint Charles and the idea of serving in another country is quite gratifying to her. Clary’s perspective is that sometimes “its better to support Humanism, rather than Patriotism.” The Emmanuel College Athletic Department wishes Megan the best of luck in her commitment to service!