Kennedy's word that inspired Kendall were, "Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills." "The quote will be going with me to the Ukraine," Kendall said.
Sam Kendall off to Ukraine as Peace Corps Volunteer
Saratoga High grad off to Ukraine, Peace Corps
By Chris Vongsarath
Saratoga News
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 06:17:21 PM PDT
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Samuel Parker Kendall, 24, of Saratoga, has been accepted into the Peace Corps. Kendall departed for Ukraine on March 23 to begin training as a youth development Peace Corps Volunteer.
Sam Kendall likes to think globally. He studied the history of Eastern Europe in high school and then at college. He's lived in a tent on the tundra of Alaska. And now he's gone to the Ukraine to join the Peace Corps.
The 24-year-old Saratoga native is not looking for cheap thrills, but instead is driven by a curiosity and passion for the world he lives in. It's a quality that he has nourished since his days at Saratoga High School, where history teacher Mike Davey gave him something he has never forgotten.
On the first day of class, Davey handed each student a quote from the late Robert Kennedy.
"I wanted to give them the idea that they can stand up and make a difference, even unknown individuals," Davey said. "You don't think you can, but obviously you can. Sam is by going to Peace Corps."
Kennedy's word that inspired Kendall were, "Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills."
"The quote will be going with me to the Ukraine," Kendall said.
On March 22, Kendall boarded a plane headed to the Ukraine. For the first three months, he will live with a host family, learning the language, culture and customs. He will then serve as a two-year volunteer working in various capacities for youth development in the country.
Kendall says he's not worried about his safety - he's more eager than anxious.
After he graduated from Boston University in 2006,AmeriCorps sent him to Alaska to work on trails from the south of Anchorage to Central Alaska. For five months, Kendall and his group lived in a tent in the middle of nowhere.
Going to Alaska and living in freezing temperatures was a test Kendall made himself go through.
"I always thought about going to the Peace Corps. So going to Alaska, I wanted to see if I could mentally do something where I was in an isolated place that was very cold with living conditions worse than the Peace Corps," he said.
When he returns from the Ukraine, he plans on going to graduate school and studying Central Asia countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Kendall said he wanted to be sure he "walked the walk" before hitting the textbooks again.
"You can only learn so much from textbooks. The other way you learn is by actually participating in it. Meeting the people is the only way to fully understand the reason people make the decisions they do," he said.
Kendall said his parents, Burton and Sally, who now live in San Francisco, fully support his decision. They themselves are doing a little traveling of their own - in Egypt - and could not be reached for comment.
The Ukraine is home to the largest Peace Corps program with 374 volunteers presently serving. And California, with more than 25,832 volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961, brings more volunteers to the program than any other state.
"I'm actually not surprised," Davey said of Kendall's decision. "He's one of the most sensitive students that I've taught, and he has a sense of responsibility to go off and do that."
