Jenny Zeisler expects to leave for Peace Corps service in Armenia on June 3



Jenny Zeisler expects to leave for Peace Corps service in Armenia on June 3

Alanson native headed for Peace Corps

by ryan bentley news-review staff writer
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:39 PM EST

Having acquired a background in nonprofit management while in graduate school at Indiana University, an Alanson native will get a chance to apply it during an upcoming stint in the Peace Corps.

Jenny Zeisler, a 1998 Littlefield High School graduate, expects to leave for Peace Corps service in Armenia on June 3. Following three months of language and job training in that country, she'll work for two years as an adviser for one or more nongovernmental, or nonprofit, organizations. Zeisler will assist with needs such as fund-raising, volunteer management, leadership and program development.


"I believe working with the Peace Corps will not only give me the opportunity to help a culture grow and sustain itself, but will also afford me the privilege of learning about the world through the lens of a different culture," Zeisler said, adding that "I am dedicated to helping curb the wealth disparity that is ever growing in our world."

Early in her involvement in the federal Peace Corps agency, Zeisler expects she'll be living with host families. Later on, she'll have a chance to obtain her own apartment or continue living with a family.

She'll be paid a living wage consistent with the local economy. The Peace Corps will provide for her airfare to Armenia and any medical needs, and will offer her a $6,000 stipend at the end of her service.

While in her teens, Zeisler served on the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee, which helps the endowment make decisions on youth-related funding requests. She credits this experience with boosting her interest in community service and philanthropy.

"In the YAC, I found a place where passion met concern, and my joy of living was embraced," Zeisler said. "I was able to serve my community, gained valuable experience, made lifelong friends and found my calling in life. So joining the Peace Corps seemed like a logical next step."

In Peace Corps service, Zeisler senses the opportunity to learn about a new culture through immersion, to apply past education and experience in a real-life situation, and to expand on her skills.

By serving in a nation where economic resources are more limited than in many others, Zeisler said she'll likely get a new sense of what's needed to survive and what she can live without. She also expects to better understand the "frustration and difficulty of being an outcast, not being able to communicate fully - things immigrants in the United States go through daily."

Zeisler obtained a bachelor's in professional communications from Old Dominion University, with minors in sociology, philosophy and music. At Indiana University, she completed a dual master's program in public administration - with an emphasis on nonprofit management - and in philanthropic studies.

She currently lives in Norfolk, Va., with her father, Dennis. She's working for an arts festival on a seasonal basis.

Her mother, Kathleen Betts, now lives in Traverse City.

During her Peace Corps service, Zeisler hopes to correspond with teachers and students in Littlefield.

After she completes her stint in Armenia, Zeisler said there are a variety of paths she may consider taking: staying abroad and working for the foreign service, moving to New York City, working for an arts or grantmaking organization or teaching and doing research at the college level.

Ryan Bentley can be contacted at 439-9342, or rbentley@petoskeynews.com.

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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March 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories PCVs in Kyrgyz Republic Are Safe 25 Mar The Coyne Column: A Good Friday Message 25 Mar Frederic Zenhausern developing "biometric bodysuits" 24 Mar Robert Blackwill calls for US co-operation with India 23 Mar Margaret Krome promotes alternate crops 23 Mar Al Kamen says allies disappointed in World Bank 23 Mar Ambassador Randall L. Tobias speaks at PC 22 Mar Becky Binns helps organize 30-hour fast 22 Mar Fred Poses meets with Vice-Premier in China 22 Mar John Hoff unionizes substitute teachers in Hawaii 21 Mar Bill Moyers takes time to "sit and vegetate" 21 Mar Tony Hall says Ethiopia may need more food aid 21 Mar Taylor Hackford's 'Ray' wins four NAACP Image Awards 21 Mar PCV seeks tap shoes for students in Moldova 20 Mar Adam Donaldson learns to believe in Baltimore 20 Mar Allen Andersson builds libraries in Central America 19 Mar Senator Sarbanes' quiet leadership will be missed 15 Mar

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

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