Mary Kay Sweet was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize and Albania
Mary Kay Sweet
Email: marykay@sweetmarykay.com
Professional Experience
Peace Corps, Washington, DC
Peace Corps Volunteer - Small Business Advisor Belize, Central America
* Completed an eight-week intensive cultural and language training program in Belize to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
* Served as a Business Administration Instructor and Curriculum Developer at the Cayo Centre for Employment Training, which was established in 1996.
* Worked with staff made up of Irish Volunteers and Belizean personnel. Reported directly to the Manager of the Centre.
* Developed curriculum for the Business Administration course, which included the following subjects:
o Basic Accounting
o Business Organization and Procedures
o Computers - Introduction, Typing, MS Office, MS Word, MS Excel, and QuickBooks
* Wrote answer keys for exercises found in the Basic Accounting book (books were donated to the school, and there was no instructor manual). Also wrote accounting quizzes and tests, and corresponding answer keys.
* Computerized accounting answer keys so they could be displayed on the big screen TV in the computer room for review with students. This facilitated covering materials in an expeditious and efficient manner.
* Procured Instructors' Manuals for teaching MS Office, MS Word, and MS Excel. These greatly facilitated instructors teaching of the subjects.
* Taught students, and shared all faculty responsibilities, including preparing schedules, compiling grades, maintaining records, writing reports, meeting with parents/guardians, and contributing to extracurricular activities.
* Implemented a standard that students must reach a mark of 85% or better on all tests. Allowed students to re-test until they achieved the passing mark. Gave quizzes that simulate tests first to prepare students for success in reaching the passing mark on tests.
* Provided instructor training, and worked with Belizean counterpart to continue development of the Business Administration curriculum and teaching of the course.
* Set up administrative procedures to facilitate efficient operations of the Centre, and assisted with administration as requested.
* Assisted Irish peers and a Florida International Volunteer with upgrading the Centre's 20 computers during the 1998 Christmas break.
Peace Corps Trainee - Advanced Business Development Program, Albania
* Evacuated from country due to civil unrest in March 1997. Service closed in Romania.
* Completed three weeks of training, which included approximately 60 hours of language training.
* Served as a Business Consultant to advise Albanian Peace Corps Staff member on effective interviewing techniques and processes for new position they were planning to fill.
