After she placed a band around the arm of a young Mauritanian girl, Peace Corps volunteer Cindy Hunter measured its circumference, checking to see if the child was moderately malnourished. Hunter also looked for signs of an orange tint in her skin and hair. If caught early enough, Hunter could prevent further weakening of the child's health, possibly preventing her from getting diarrhea and dying of dehydration. After graduating college, Hunter participated in the Peace Corps in Mauritania, West Africa from 1983 to 1985, and continued to volunteer for other service agencies like Bread for the World and Mennonite Central Committee. "This is actually my first job," Hunter said, chuckling. Hunter, who has been at JMU since 2002, said that her years of service helped her decide to go to graduate school and to pursue a career in social work. While out of her office, Hunter asks a few social work students passing by if they are interested in participating in a service program after graduation.
After graduating college, Cindy Hunter participated in the Peace Corps in Mauritania, West Africa from 1983 to 1985, and continued to volunteer for other service agencies like Bread for the World and Mennonite Central Committee
Students of Service
April 22, 2010 • By Hana Uman,
After she placed a band around the arm of a young Mauritanian girl, Peace Corps volunteer Cindy Hunter measured its circumference, checking to see if the child was moderately malnourished. Hunter also looked for signs of an orange tint in her skin and hair.
If caught early enough, Hunter could prevent further weakening of the child's health, possibly preventing her from getting diarrhea and dying of dehydration.
As May 8 quickly gains on the Class of 2010, many seniors are applying to join service programs after graduation rather than trying to enter the job market at one of the worst economic times in history.
"Whenever there's a bad economy, and jobs are more difficult to find, you see graduate school and service experience applications going up, because people want to have a productive use of their time after graduation," said Rich Harris, director of JMU's Community Service-Learning office.
Harris lounged in his desk chair, a framed photograph of a group of smiling student volunteers with the words "Cultivating Change" hanging above his computer. Harris has been the director of CS-L since 1996 and been has involved in higher education since 1989.
Since the creation of the Peace Corps in 1961, new service programs have continued to emerge. While the Peace Corps is still popular, interest in programs like AmeriCorps, Teach for America, City Year and Green Corps is increasing. There are also a variety of faith-based service programs for nearly every religious denomination.
Service programs are not an easy alternative to finding a job; they often require prior community service experience and multiple applications, essays, references and interviews. Even JMU's campus campaign coordinator for Teach for America, Brandon Brown, was wait-listed to the program.
Peace Corps and Teach for America are two of the more lengthy programs, with a two-year time commitment. Programs like AmeriCorps can vary in length, some requiring a commitment of only a few weeks or months, which is often more appealing for students.
Mark Gormley, JMU's Peace Corps campus recruiter since 2009 and a returned volunteer, has received 13 applications from JMU students and has nominated 10 to participate in the program next year. In 2009, 44 JMU students participated in the Peace Corps, and three are participating in 2010.
"I think because the interest is higher, they are going to different organizations. They used to go to just a few like Peace Corps, AmeriCorps; now I think they're going to a greater variety of organizations after graduation," Harris said.
On Feb. 4, CS-L and Career and Academic Planning hosted the ninth annual Service Fair, where representatives from more than 15 nonprofit agencies provided information on service opportunities for current and graduating students.
CS-L service coordinators, senior Gabrielle Hurley and junior Chelsea Foster, while sitting in the hallway outside of the CS-L office in Wilson Hall, passionately discussed their service experiences.
"The nonprofit representatives that were there were really happy with the turnout at the end, of the students that came and the information that they were able to relay to the students," Foster said.
"And the level of commitment that the students seemed to have, it wasn't just like ‘Oh I want to volunteer. It was actually that students were thinking about pursuing this post-graduation or as an internship,'" Hurley said.
Foster, a communication sciences and disorders major, wants to participate in mission-oriented service after graduation and is looking into the Peace Corps as well. Hurley is applying to graduate school, but also wants to teach English and volunteer in Costa Rica, and after volunteering there in the summer, participate in City Year and eventually join the Peace Corps.
"I'm really debating whether I want to get my education first, but still all my plans lie in the service field," said Hurley, an interdisciplinary liberal studies major.
While Hurley and Foster believe more students are participating in service programs out of genuine interest, Hunter thinks the tight job market might be a contributing factor. Larger service programs typically provide volunteers with enticing benefits such as a stipend, housing, health care, loan deferment and money for loans or graduate school, which are difficult to find in entry-level jobs.
"I wish I could say it's because people are more service-minded," said Hunter, who is now an assistant professor and the director of field placement for JMU's social work department.
After graduating college, Hunter participated in the Peace Corps in Mauritania, West Africa from 1983 to 1985, and continued to volunteer for other service agencies like Bread for the World and Mennonite Central Committee.
"This is actually my first job," Hunter said, chuckling.
Hunter, who has been at JMU since 2002, said that her years of service helped her decide to go to graduate school and to pursue a career in social work.
While out of her office, Hunter asks a few social work students passing by if they are interested in participating in a service program after graduation.
Senior Christine Calafiore talked about her interest in Teach for America and AmeriCorps, but also graduate school and jobs. She said participating in a service program would help her determine what concentration to pursue.
"I think it would help me figure things out more, figure out what I want to do and where I want to go," she said.
Hurley and Foster, who have recently returned from Alternative Spring Break trips to Atlanta and San Diego, respectively, both said that they have noticed many students change their career paths or join service programs after volunteering in Harrisonburg or on an Alternative Break Program.
"I think our generation, media-wise, we've been able to be exposed to social injustices through TV, Internet … so we really have a better understanding than maybe people did in the past," Foster said.
At her desk, Hunter closes her eyes and brings one hand to her forehead, thinking back to her time in the Peace Corps and the five years she spent with the Mennonite Central Committee in El Salvador.
The relationships she built while volunteering for the Peace Corps and the Mennonite Central Committee are what she remembers most.
"People get to know each other deeply across pretty crazy barriers, both political and cultural and linguistic barriers. I just believe that has important and positive impact."
Contact Hana Uman at umanhr@dukes.jmu.edu
