2006.10.13: October 13, 2006: Headlines: COS - Guinea: Gustavus MCS Blog: Rebecca Konrad volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Guinea: Peace Corps Guinea : The Peace Corps in Guinea: 2006.10.13: October 13, 2006: Headlines: COS - Guinea: Gustavus MCS Blog: Rebecca Konrad volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea

By Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-129-41-31.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 70.129.41.31) on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - 9:49 am: Edit Post

Rebecca Konrad volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea

Rebecca Konrad  volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea

After graduation from Gustavus, Rebecca volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. She developed and presented mathematics lessons in French for 100 senior high school students on a wide range of mathematical topics. She also implemented an extensive tutoring program to prepare students for the national exams and for university entrance exams, an effort that resulted in a record high pass rate for high school seniors in her community. She put a special emphasis on girls’ education, and she also established and coached the first-ever girls’ soccer program in Tougue, Guinea, writing a successful grant proposal to support their traveling matches. She had many other accomplishments during those two years, some of which she described for us in a wonderful seminar she presented to our department when she returned to Minnesota.

Rebecca Konrad volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea

MCS Alums Receive First Decade Award


Friday, October 13th, 2006 at 6:17 pm by max

Caption: Computer Science major Milo Martin (center) and Math major Rebecca Konrad (second from right), both from the class of 1996, are congratulated by MCS professors Barbara Kaiser (left), Max Hailperin (second from left) and Karl Knight (right) on winning the Alumni Association’s award for outstanding achievements in their first decade since graduation.

[Excerpt]

Rebecca Konrad (as introduced by Karl Knight)

It is a great honor and privilege to introduce Rebecca Konrad, one of the two recipients of the First Decade award, both of whom were majors in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Gustavus.

One of my great pleasures as a teacher is watching students go on to fulfill their promise in ways I don’t think that even they envisioned while at Gustavus. Rebecca told me that when she first came to Gustavus, she was unsure what she wanted to pursue. However, after taking an Honor Calculus course from my colleague Jeff Rosoff, she decided that she wanted to major in mathematics, and in particular, secondary mathematics education. Rebecca was of course an excellent student. She was also involved in many other things at Gustavus, such as being the principal flutist in the Wind Orchestra and the Gustavus Orchestra, as well as being the president of the Math and Computer Science Club. In fact, she and Milo were both in a group of Math/CS students that we still remember fondly as a department.

After graduation from Gustavus, Rebecca volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. She developed and presented mathematics lessons in French for 100 senior high school students on a wide range of mathematical topics. She also implemented an extensive tutoring program to prepare students for the national exams and for university entrance exams, an effort that resulted in a record high pass rate for high school seniors in her community. She put a special emphasis on girls’ education, and she also established and coached the first-ever girls’ soccer program in Tougue, Guinea, writing a successful grant proposal to support their traveling matches. She had many other accomplishments during those two years, some of which she described for us in a wonderful seminar she presented to our department when she returned to Minnesota.

At the time of that seminar, Rebecca was working as an actuarial analyst for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota. I was amused to hear her say, in a profile of her in the newsletter of the Carlson School of Management, that “before serving in the Peace Corps, I would never have worked in an office environment. I was too granola.” Perhaps she was granola, but I always sensed that she had a strong will and a desire to help others in the best way that she could.

In 2001, Rebecca began her MBA studies at the Carlson School of Management. She was extremely successful there, being unanimously selected by the faculty as the Outstanding Finance Student of 2003 for her exceptional academic and professional achievements in the field of finance. Early on at Carlson, she developed a strong interest in fixed income funds, doing internships with RBC Dain Rauscher and Galliard Capital Management where she honed her skills at portfolio management. She also established and was a managing director of the Carlson School Fixed Income Fund, the largest such student-run fund in the nation and the first-ever at the University of Minnesota.

Following graduate school, Rebecca spent one year at ING Investment Management in Minneapolis. While there, she was involved in the underwriting of 0 million of corporate bond investments for public and private companies operating in 140 countries worldwide. She managed a 0 million portfolio of private bonds, and generated million in new business by leveraging existing client relationships.

In August of 2004, Rebecca had the opportunity to use her investment management skills in the service of her passion for international development. She was one of only 15 MBAs from over 10,000 applicants worldwide to join the premier recruiting program for the International Finance Corporation, which is the private sector funding arm of the World Bank. There she advises on the structuring, pricing, and implementation of a billion securitization program which is aimed at the development of the private sector in developing and emerging market countries, more recently with an emphasis on energy companies in those markets. Rebecca told me that the three things she likes most about her current position is working on development that can be helpful on a world scale, working in an international environment with colleagues from around the world, and simply working in the field of finance.

This past week I met with a high school student who is considering enrolling at Gustavus. She shows great promise for and interest in mathematics, and has been strongly encouraged by her parents to pursue her interests in mathematics and science. When either she or her mother asked what possibilities are open for mathematics major after graduation, it was great to be able to cite the amazing things that Rebecca has done in these 10 short years, and to say that sky is indeed the limit when you pursue your dreams.





When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Top Stories and Breaking News PCOL Magazine Peace Corps Library RPCV Directory Sign Up

Election 2006: Top Races for RPCVs Date: October 22 2006 No: 1002 Election 2006: Top Races for RPCVs
Congressman Chris Shays in Connecticut
Shays not afraid to differ with Bush 21 Oct
Maybe it's time for Shays to depart 29 Sep
Shays says US should have gone into Iraq sooner 20 Oct
Shays slams National Republican Committee 13 Oct
Shays says Abu Ghraib more pornography than torture 14 Oct
Chris Shays calls for Rumsfeld to resign 4 Oct
Shays says his faith has been shaken 15 Sep

Governor Jim Doyle in Wisconsin
Doyle started with service in Peace Corps 8 Oct
Margaret Krome writes: Doyle helps Wisconsin 27 Sep
Doyle has a slight edge in the polls 20 Oct

Kinky Friedman in Texas - Candidate for Governor
Kinky Friedman—singer, writer, governor? 31 Aug
Friedman No. 2 in polls as election day nears 16 Oct
"I want to be your good shepherd" 12 Sep

Congressman Jim Walsh in New York
Walsh facing his first serious challenge in a decade 11 Oct
Walsh points with pride to his earmarks 27 Sep

Congressman Sam Farr in California
Sam Farr and the case of the missing opponent 16 Oct

John Garamendi in California - Candidate for Lt. Governor
Garamendi best for lieutenant governor 13 Oct

John Kefalas in Colorado - Candidate for State House
John Kefalas is waging a determined campaign 3 Oct

October 22, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Date: October 22 2006 No: 1005 October 22, 2006: This Month's Top Stories
The crisis over North Korea's nuclear bomb test 14 Oct
Hill faced strong opposition for denuclearization agreement 8 Oct
John Coyne writes: The first Peace Corps book 20 Oct
Thomas Tighe moderates discussion with President Clinton 17 Oct
PC announces Community College degree program 18 Oct
Donna Shalala expresses dismay over football brawl 16 Oct
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley defends Lebanon policy 16 Oct
Jan Guifarro elected Chair of NPCA Board 15 Oct
Carl Pope writes: From the pump to the polls 13 Oct
Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez Says Africa a Priority 12 Oct
Chris Dodd opposes Bush terrorism bill 10 Oct
Isaac Edvalson is founder of Africa's Tomorrow 9 Oct
The Man who turned down Shriver 8 Oct
Mae Jemison tells girls to reach for the stars 6 Oct
Loren Finnell receives Shriver Award 4 Oct
Matt Sesow paints onstage during opera 2 Oct
Film examines anti-malaria drug lariam 29 Sep
Blackwill dismisses Musharraf's claims 27 Sep
Ron Tschetter sworn in as 17th Peace Corps Director 26 Sep
Rape Victim Student Gets $1 Million From City College 26 Sep
Ricardo Chavira narrates Public Service Announcements 25 Sep

The Peace Corps Library Date: July 11 2006 No: 923 The Peace Corps Library
The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Date: September 23 2006 No: 996 Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps
Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honor Date: September 12 2006 No: 983 He served with honor
One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Date: September 6 2006 No: 978 Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director
Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable Date: September 2 2006 No: 971 Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable
In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance Date: August 19 2006 No: 964 Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance
The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again Date: July 31 2006 No: 947 The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again
The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Date: July 20 2006 No: 930 Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

PCOL readership increases 100% Date: April 3 2006 No: 853 PCOL readership increases 100%
Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace Corps Date: March 18 2006 No: 834 History of the Peace Corps
PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Gustavus MCS Blog

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Guinea

PCOL34745
13


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: