According to Stephen Chapman, a Peace Corps public affairs officer, in 2006, slightly more than 4,000 of the approximately 12,000 who started the application process “actually boarded a plane for their assignment.” Chapman said those numbers are typical. He said a number of things play into the relatively low ratio of those who first apply and those who end up serving. “A lot of the applicants are just out of college when they start, and by the time the process starts moving along, they decide the Peace Corps is not for them,” Chapman said. “Some have job offers that become available, others may not be a match for the needs of Peace Corps, in terms of skills, experience or education. And others may have legal or physical problems that stop the process.” But Micah navigated the application minefield and says the greatest rewards he’s reaped during his stint in the Peace Corps have stemmed from the time he’s spent working with children.
Micah Owens enjoying opportunity the Peace Corps presents in Bulgaria
Iredell native Micah Owens enjoying opportunity the Peace Corps presents
By J.R. Munoz-McNally
jmcnally@statesville.com
Friday, February 22, 2008
Caption: Micah Owens (right) taught English at a local children's home in Bulgaria as part of his work. Photo courtesy of Micah Owens
Micah Owens was looking for a way to combine his newly-earned bachelor’s degree in anthropology with his desire to help people and, along the way, do something extraordinary.
The South Iredell High School graduate found that blend in the Peace Corps.
He started the long process of joining the storied service organization, which was founded in the early days of the Kennedy administration.
“It’s hard to get in,” said Micah’s father, Don Owens, a Troutman businessman. “But he really wanted to go in.”
Don said his reaction was bittersweet when he learned about his son’s wishes.
“As a father, I think you have two very different feelings,” he said. “First is that you are proud that your son is serving others and is putting other peoples’ needs first. But then there is the fact of knowing you won’t see your child for 27 months.”
That was a year and a half ago.
Micah Owens was first sent to Kyustendil, Bulgaria in August 2006 and is now in another town in the former Soviet Union nation called Strazhitsa.
Prior to that, however, he turned down the Peace Corps’ original offer of serving in the Caribbean.
“But it’s not the romantic part of the Caribbean,” Don quickly points out. “In the Peace Corps, you are rarely sent to romantic places.”
In an e-mail, Micah said the early part of his training in Bulgaria was dedicated to learning the language and “orienting ourselves with Bulgaria, its culture, customs and way of life in general.”
During those first few months, Micah lived with a host family during a kind of probationary period - he was not yet an official a member of the Peace Corps.
His official swearing in on Oct. 19, 2006, was the culmination of about a nine-month application process that only about one-third of the starting applicants actually reach.
According to Stephen Chapman, a Peace Corps public affairs officer, in 2006, slightly more than 4,000 of the approximately 12,000 who started the application process “actually boarded a plane for their assignment.”
Chapman said those numbers are typical.
He said a number of things play into the relatively low ratio of those who first apply and those who end up serving.
“A lot of the applicants are just out of college when they start, and by the time the process starts moving along, they decide the Peace Corps is not for them,” Chapman said. “Some have job offers that become available, others may not be a match for the needs of Peace Corps, in terms of skills, experience or education. And others may have legal or physical problems that stop the process.”
But Micah navigated the application minefield and says the greatest rewards he’s reaped during his stint in the Peace Corps have stemmed from the time he’s spent working with children.
“I think the most gratifying part of my experience has been interacting with the young people on a daily basis,” he wrote in an e-mail. “(Also) meeting them; getting to know them and then working with the community on goals they’ve set to give these kids more opportunities and enhance their quality of life.”
Micah is what the Peace Corps calls a youth development volunteer. His time is about evenly split between working directly with the young people on projects and with their English speaking and writing skills.
“Or maybe just talking together or playing ping-pong or trying to play soccer,” he added.
The other half of his time is spent with the people in the community who have involvement with the youth.
“Right now, we’re working on creating a Web site for one organization,” he said. “I also help with an English theater program, teach some basic computer skills and work with the teachers at the school.”
But the term “volunteer” might be a bit misleading - though not by much.
Chapman said the Peace Corps workers follow an early philosophy of the organization - “immersion into the community they serve.”
Part of that immersion is reflected in the volunteers’ pay, which derives from the average pay of the average worker in the community.
For Micah, that amounted to about $2,700 for the calender year of 2007.
“Nobody is attracted to this by the pay,” Don said. “They are attracted by the same thing Micah was - a desire to help people.”
Micah said he wants to continue to follow that calling when his two-year enlistment in the Peace Corps ends in November.
“I want to pursue a career that helps people,” he said.
The Peace Corps celebrates its 47th anniversary March 1, with a weeklong event beginning on Monday.
