Stannard currently teaches English to third and fourth graders in Colonia Yap, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia, at Gaanelay Elementary School. "I wanted to do my part to promote a peaceful world while gaining incredible knowledge and experience," she said. Stannard also credits a good friend who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria for helping to strengthen her resolve to serve in the Peace Corps. "Her stories, along with my passion for travel, led me to join (among other factors)," said Stannard.
Victoria Stannard is serving in Micronesia as an education and community development Peace Corps volunteer
Newport resident serves with Peace Corps in Micronesia
Caption: Peace Corps participant Victoria Stannard is pictured in Yap Micronesia while dying grass skirts. Upon her graduation from training to full Peace Corps Volunteer, she and other volunteers dyed skirts that they later wore in an indoctrination ceremony. (Courtesy photo)
Victoria Stannard is serving in Micronesia as an education and community development Peace Corps volunteer. She departed for training on Sept. 8, 2007.
Stannard currently teaches English to third and fourth graders in Colonia Yap, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia, at Gaanelay Elementary School. "I wanted to do my part to promote a peaceful world while gaining incredible knowledge and experience," she said.
Stannard, 21, was raised in Lincoln County. She danced with the Newport School of Artistic Movement in Newport and graduated from Newport High School in 2003.
While in college, she completed The Fund for American Studies' (TFAS) Engalitcheff Institute for Political and Economic Systems, a Washington, D.C.-based internship program where she received a scholarship of $1,000 and took classes at Georgetown University while interning full-time for the Embassy of Ecuador.
She graduated in 2007 from Linfield College in McMinnville with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish.
Stannard's past travel experience included studying abroad in spring of 2005 in Oaxaca, Mexico, and she participated in a cultural exchange in Japan.
Stannard also credits a good friend who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria for helping to strengthen her resolve to serve in the Peace Corps. "Her stories, along with my passion for travel, led me to join (among other factors)," said Stannard.
The Peace Corps' Micronesia program serves both the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. Combined, the two states are smaller than the state of Rhode Island. Peace Corps volunteers have been serving in Micronesia since 1966 and in Palau since 1986. Over 4,000 volunteers have served in the two countries. Currently, 66 volunteers are working in the areas of youth education and natural resource conservation. Volunteers in these projects work in health, libraries and reading, information technology, small business enterprise, marine conservation, and terrestrial resources conservation.
"(In the future) I would like to work in foreign service, or become a teacher," said Stannard.
She is one of the 237 Oregon residents currently serving in the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps offers assignments in the areas of education, community development, health and HIV/AIDS, business development, the environment, youth, information technology, and agriculture.
Since 1961, more than 5,282 Oregon residents have served in the Peace Corps, and a growing percentage of volunteers currently serving out in the field are over the age of 50.
There are no out-of-pocket costs to serve in the Peace Corps, and applications are currently being accepted at peacecorps.gov/application.
