After hearing John F. Kennedy's speeches about the Peace Corps, Williams did some research. As part of that effort, he spoke with a fellow graduate of Chicago State University who had served with the Peace Corps in Jamaica. "I was just absolutely fascinated about what she told me she did. And I said, 'Hey, this is a person just like me - went to this college, was a teacher, went to the Peace Corps.' I said 'I'm gonna do that. I'm going to try Peace Corps and see if it can broaden my horizons." Williams remembers only two people supporting his decision: his mother, Blanche Green, who later visited him in every post he served; and his best fried Harry Simmons, who while not understanding Williams' decision entirely thought it was interesting. "No one had ever left Chicago from my family unless they went to the Army. So, why should I do this?" But he did do it, and ended up serving in the Dominican Republic for three years. "I would have to tell you that from the first day I went in the Peace Corps training, I was certain that this was something I wanted to do. the Peace Corps changed my life forever. As they say in the Peace Corps recruitment, it's the toughest job you'll ever love. and it's extraordinary. It changed the way I look at the world. and it created the basis for my career as it has developed until today. It introduced me to the world of another culture. I learned how to speak and work in a foreign language. I really tested myself in ways that I never thought I would be tested. " President Obama named RPCV Aaron Williams the Director of the Peace Corps on July 14, 2009.
Aaron Williams talks about his decision to join the Peace Corps
Working for change
By Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff
Aaron Williams was interviewed the book "Working for Change," a book that focuses on development management positions in international service employment and offers guidance on finding the right mix of service objectives, degree programs, job opportunities and personal lifestyle choices.
[Excerpt]
After hearing John F. Kennedy's speeches about the Peace Corps, Williams did some research. As part of that effort, he spoke with a fellow graduate of Chicago State University who had served with the Peace Corps in Jamaica. "I was just absolutely fascinated about what she told me she did. And I said, 'Hey, this is a person just like me - went to this college, was a teacher, went to the Peace Corps.' I said 'I'm gonna do that. I'm going to try Peace Corps and see if it can broaden my horizons."
While there was a surge of people joining the Peace Corps in the late sixties, this wasn't the case in Williams' circles. Williams remembers only two people supporting his decision: his mother, Blanche Green, who later visited him in every post he served; and his best fried Harry Simmons, who while not understanding Williams' decision entirely thought it was interesting. "No one had ever left Chicago from my family unless they went to the Army. So, why should I do this?"
But he did do it, and ended up serving in the Dominican Republic for three years. "I would have to tell you that from the first day I went in the Peace Corps training, I was certain that this was something I wanted to do. the Peace Corps changed my life forever. As they say in the Peace Corps recruitment, it's the toughest job you'll ever love. and it's extraordinary. It changed the way I look at the world. and it created the basis for my career as it has developed until today. It introduced me to the world of another culture. I learned how to speak and work in a foreign language. I really tested myself in ways that I never thought I would be tested. "
Williams began by teaching rural schoolteachers seeking a high school diploma, moved to work on curriculum development with the Ministry of Education, and ended up teaching a new teacher training course at the first private university in the Dominican Republic (Universidad Madre y Maestra). About halfway through his service, Wiliams met his wife Rosa, a Dominican, who was studying medicine and was a high school science teacher. They spent the first year of marriage in the Dominican Republic.
