Chance began talking about joining the Peace Corps while working toward her master's degree, said Sarah Rivers, another longtime friend. When Chance found out she was accepted into the program, "she was pretty happy about her assignment," Rivers said, despite never having been to Africa. Within weeks, she had quit her job at Ernst & Young in Phoenix and sold all her belongings in preparation for the move. Chance arrived in Niger in July. Her duties included helping local officials coordinate government services. Chance was sworn in as a municipal development volunteer on Sept. 23 after completing her training, and had only recently arrived at her volunteer site in Zinder. "That was her main goal, to really see something come out of an idea of somebody she's working with," Rivers said. "She loves helping people."
Peace Corps Volunteer Stephanie Chance called a caring Leader
Late Peace Corps volunteer called a caring leader
by Amy B Wang - Oct. 15, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Friends of a Phoenix Peace Corps volunteer, who was found dead at the start of her two-year assignment in Niger, remember her as a caring, driven and funny woman who was a natural leader.
Stephanie Chance, 26, died last week of what appeared to be natural causes, according to a statement from the Peace Corps. She was discovered in her home in Zinder, Niger.
"She wasn't afraid to do anything," said Rachel Cohen, a close friend and Chance's former roommate.
Chance began talking about joining the Peace Corps while working toward her master's degree, said Sarah Rivers, another longtime friend. When Chance found out she was accepted into the program, "she was pretty happy about her assignment," Rivers said, despite never having been to Africa.
Within weeks, she had quit her job at Ernst & Young in Phoenix and sold all her belongings in preparation for the move.
Chance arrived in Niger in July. Her duties included helping local officials coordinate government services. Chance was sworn in as a municipal development volunteer on Sept. 23 after completing her training, and had only recently arrived at her volunteer site in Zinder.
"That was her main goal, to really see something come out of an idea of somebody she's working with," Rivers said. "She loves helping people."
After moving to Africa, Chance continued to correspond with family and friends by phone, e-mail and letters.
Cohen said Chance wrote her letters full of "amusing stories" about her adventures in Niger - learning Hausa, the local language, and becoming acquainted with her host family during the initial training period in the village of Hamdallaye.
A statement issued by the Peace Corps said Chance "was known by Peace Corps training staff for her smile and willingness to help others." In her short time there, she organized basketball games and coached local youth in the sport. She recently had participated in an annual tree planting to celebrate Nigerien Independence Day and promote conservation.
"My aspirations for my community are to assist them in identifying their needs, and helping them imagine the changes they would most benefit from," Chance wrote in a July statement about her work with Peace Corps.
Friends said Chance, a triathlete and former high-school basketball player, did not have any medical problems to their knowledge.
Chance earned a B.S. in business administration and an M.A. in accounting from the University of Arizona. She graduated in 2002 from Barry Goldwater High School in Phoenix, where she was president of the National Honor Society.
Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams said Chance's death is "terribly painful for the entire Peace Corps family."
