Nic Mount goes to Kiribati in Peace Corps
York Alumnus Joins Peace Corps
Panther Press 9/18/03
By Chrystal Duquette
Every college senior struggles with the question, "Where do I go from here?"
2002 graduate Nic Mount settled that issue in an uncommon way: he joined the United States Peace Corps.
"I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life," he said. "I wanted to live outside the picket fence...I wanted to do something adventurous."
Mount will be starting his adventure October 16th. He will have four days of orientation in the US before heading to the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced kiri-bahs), a small island nation in the Central Pacific. Once there, he will spend three months in the major city of Tarawa receiving language, culture, and technical training. If he passes his language proficiency testing, he will be officially sworn into the Peace Corps.
"I’m going to have to study my brains out probably!" said Mount, who claims he is not intimidated by the intensive training. "I can’t wait to be able to pray in another language," he said.
After being sworn in, he will travel to smaller islands to teach English teachers. He will spend 24 months living with the native people. He looks on this experience as an alternative to traditional mission work, a way to get to the field without all the fund-raising.
"I think it’s a Christ-like thing. I think Jesus would be an advocate of it. I may not get to ‘sow the word’ directly, but will be out there helping people," said Mount, mentioning the "whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" passage in the gospel of Matthew.
Though he was not aware of it at the time, Mount’s years at York College were preparing him for this opportunity. While here, he majored in Physical Education and was able to go on three Let’s Start Talking mission trips.
"Those were my first international experiences," said Mount, who traveled to Russia, Kenya, and Japan with LST. These international encounters showed him the poverty of so many in the world. "It created a desire in me to help those people," he said.
Though Mount will not be getting paid for his time in Kiribati, he still sees this trip as a "good career building move," as he hopes to go into international benevolence or a similar field when he returns to the United States.
Mount said his parents were less than thrilled at the prospect of not seeing him for more than two years. "They think I’m a little crazy," he said. "They worry like good parents should, but at the same time they smile about it…I think I make them proud."
Correspondence can be sent to:
Nicodemus Mount
U.S. Peace Corps
PO Box 260
Bikenibeu, Tarawa
Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific
