John O'Leary was one of several individuals who attended a July 13 meeting at Waubonsee Community College to learn more about the Peace Corps program
CULTURE CLASH
WCC graduate, Aurora University student hopes to learn more about other cultures through the Peace Corps.
by Susan O'Neill
John O'Leary has always been interested in people and cultures around the world. He's also had a life-long fascination with wildlife and water creatures. When he was younger he was always catching something and bringing it home from the river.
At the age of 25, O'Leary has decided to combine those two passions. O'Leary was one of several individuals who attended a July 13 meeting at Waubonsee Community College to learn more about the Peace Corps program.
O'Leary said he wants to join the program. He wants to travel to the small island of Palau in the South Pacific where he will be a part of the Peace Corps' Marine Conservation Program.
His task once he arrives in the south sea island of Palau will be to check the quality of the surrounding reefs. He will scuba dive down to the reefs and count the number and variety of invertebrates to ensure the reef's ongoing health. He'll also educate tourists and others about marine life and how to protect it.
O'Leary is a student at Aurora University where he is pursuing a double major of biology and environmental science. This, plus his other traveling experiences, put him in good stead for being accepted into the Peace Corps program.
His adventuresome travels began with a trip to Mexico with his anthropology class from Waubonsee Community College in 1999. He and his class stayed in a town called Merida for about a month to study the local culture.
During his stay, his assignments included spending about five hours in town every day, mingling and getting to know the local residents, which Waubonsee sociology and anthropology teacher Paul Olson, who led the journey, had set up ahead of time.
Olson, who has taken 26 groups of students to various places in Mexico, said he remembered O'Leary for his great passion for traveling and seeing the world. He said O'Leary had a natural curiosity for understanding how other people live and how he could be of some use to them, something he doesn't always see in a student.
"John wanted to see more," he said. "He had a real sensitivity for people living in third-world countries. He wanted to know what he could do to help."
O'Leary's sojourn to Mexico taught him much about another culture and left him with a hunger to see more.
In addition to his extensive traveling, O'Leary has already spent almost eight years in the military. He explained that he joined up a few weeks after his 18th birthday in order to pay for his studies.
His experience in foreign countries came to good use in 2003 when he was called to active duty. The Army needed him in the United States. He served for six months in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and then went on to Fort Eustis and Fort Snelling in Virginia.
His job was to help get the troops ready to leave for places overseas. Part of that job included teaching classes in language and culture of various nations. O'Leary said he gave the soldiers an idea of what to expect when they went to another country.
O'Leary wasn't done traveling. After obtaining his associate's degree from Waubonsee, he was ready for another adventure. He planned on continuing his education at Aurora University, but before he began his studies there, he contacted biology professor Dr. Horn to discuss with him his plans to travel to Africa. They agreed that when O'Leary came back, he would write a paper and conduct a presentation for the school's science club on the environmental issues of Africa.
O'Leary made his way to four countries of the dark continent during his four-month stay, including Egypt, Kenya, South Africa and Seychelles, an island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean. He studied pollution, eco-tourism and conservation issues from a very real perspective.
Upon arriving home, he shared slides of his trip and what he had learned with the science club.
Horn encouraged O'Leary to pursue his interest in the Peace Corps. He said that with O'Leary's academic background, his military experience and his talents, he has the potential to make a solid difference in another community.
"He would be very well-suited for the Peace Corps," he said.
O'Leary said he is now pursuing the Peace Corps to do something positive for the environment. He explained the group has an excellent standing in the world. Also, he said he will receive the financial backing to do the things he loves to do, something he wouldn't get from other organizations.
In his travels, O'Leary has met a number of Peace Corps volunteers and he said he liked what they had to say. At the July meeting, he met Chicago area recruiter Michael Dane. Having initiated the rigorous application process, he would like to be placed by September or October of next year. However, Dane told him that because he is so specific about where he wants to go and what he wants to do, it could be up to a year or two before he will be called. He expects to graduate in May of 2005.
O'Leary said he is the first of his family to pursue a college degree. He explained that from an early age, he has always wanted to be more successful than the people around him.
The Peace Corps is another way that he is meeting a long-term goal for his life, he said.
For more information about the Peace Corps and what opportunities are available through the program, visit the website at www.peacecorps.gov or call Chicago area Peace Corps recruiter Michael Dane at 1-800-424-8580.
