2006.10.26: October 26, 2006: Headlines: COS - Namibia: Recruitment: Physics: Rockford Register Star: Alex Pompe will spend the next two years in Namibia teaching math and science for the Peace Corps
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2006.10.26: October 26, 2006: Headlines: COS - Namibia: Recruitment: Physics: Rockford Register Star: Alex Pompe will spend the next two years in Namibia teaching math and science for the Peace Corps
Alex Pompe will spend the next two years in Namibia teaching math and science for the Peace Corps
“Peace Corps provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be completely immersed in a different culture while providing service for people in need,” he said. “I was looking for a meaningful project to contribute to, which would also provide me with many new challenges. In speaking to some of my mentors in the physics department at the University of Illinois, several mentioned their own Peace Corps service or that of their children as being a defining time in their respective lives.”
Alex Pompe will spend the next two years in Namibia teaching math and science for the Peace Corps
U of I graduate headed to Namibia with Peace Corps
By Elizabeth Davies
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
At a time when most of his peers are shunning backpacks and all-nighters for business suits and corporate meetings, Alex Pompe is getting ready to live in a country where electricity and running water are luxuries, not necessities.
Fresh off a physics degree from the University of Illinois, this 22-year-old Belvidere native has decided to spend the next two years teaching math and science in Africa for the Peace Corps.
“Peace Corps provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be completely immersed in a different culture while providing service for people in need,” he said. “I was looking for a meaningful project to contribute to, which would also provide me with many new challenges. In speaking to some of my mentors in the physics department at the University of Illinois, several mentioned their own Peace Corps service or that of their children as being a defining time in their respective lives.”
Beginning in November, Pompe will travel to Namibia, which is near the southern tip of Africa, bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean. He will spend eight weeks in language and cultural training before settling into a community and school there.
While the primary language in Namibia is English, there are many regional dialects spoken by people of different tribal heritages. Pompe expects he’ll pick up some of the language for his region, as a way of developing trust among his students.
“Teaching is done in the national language of English, however almost none of the students speak this language at home, and oftentimes it is a lack of language proficiency which hinders their math and science education,” he said.
With any luck, he might be at an advantage — thanks to his years at Belvidere High School.
“Namibia is a former German colony, so my four years under Fraulein Groh at Belvidere High School will probably come in handy at some point,” he joked.
While the subject matters he will teach are similar to what students learn in the United States, the circumstances will be far different. He knows that students in Namibia tend to fall behind easily in math and science, because there are not enough qualified teachers there to instruct the subjects.
Likewise, students come from homes that are far less comfortable than those in the States. Pompe expects his students will live without running water or electricity. He said many of their families earn less than $5 a day, simply living off the food they harvest on their land.
Still, he looks forward to spending time with students who are excited to be in a classroom.
“There is a tremendous desire from students to learn,” he said. “Students are said to be very dedicated and passionate for learning, and many go to great lengths for their studies. Children are known to travel long distances each morning to get to school, even after working several hours on their families’ farms.”
Before being accepted by the Peace Corps, Pompe had to write an extensive essay and turn in letters of recommendation. He did a personal interview, had a medical exam and went through a background check. Only after he passed each step did Pompe receive an invitation from the Peace Corps’ Washington office to become involved.
After his two-year commitment to the Peace Corps, Pompe expects to return to the United States with plans of pursuing a doctoral degree in physics. He hopes this experience will help him better understand how science can be comprehended and utilized by people everywhere.
And he also knows his time spent in Africa will likely change the way he views the world forever.
“My outlook on health, illness and mortality will most likely change as I come face to face with the HIV/AIDS crisis of the continent,” he said. “I think my definitions of poverty, and my perception of wealth, will change a great deal.”
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Headlines: October, 2006; COS - Namibia; Recruitment; Physics
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Story Source: Rockford Register Star
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Namibia; Recruitment; Physics
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