-Your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer; and
-How these reasons are related to your past experiences and life goals.
-How you expect to satisfy the Peace Corps 10 Core Expectations (please be specific about which expectations you expect to find most challenging and how you plan to overcome these challenges).
Being born to and raised to Russian immigrants, I have always held firmly to the culture and traditions that I have come from. At the same time I have come to realize that there is a strong disconnect from the childhoods my parents had in living in a totalitarian state of government and that of my own in the U.S. I would like to think that I haven't taken such privileges for granted, but I would only be lying to myself. The truth is I could never completely understand their trials and tribulations and what it was like to wait in line for hours in the harsh Russian winters just to buy a loaf of bread at the local market. Nevertheless, it has made me grateful for everything I have been given and I strive to make something out of it.
I do not expect to change the world, and have never considered myself to be an idealist. Nevertheless the values that my parents have instilled on me, makes me want to contribute to the world, even if the impact is only marginal. There are many families around the globe born into situations far harsher and more difficult than that of my parents. I want to give their children the best chance to succeed not just academically, but also in their lives, the same way that my parents opened those paths for me.
I also look at the Peace Corps as an enormous opportunity for self-growth. I have read many stories about the connections volunteers have made with the people within their communities and have realized the tribulations and frustrations that come with it. When I chose my major in inclusive education I knew that I would someday be teaching to a diverse group of students. The Peace Corps gives me an opportunity to adapt to a different culture and make a mutual partnership with a community far different from where I was born. I will cherish every one of these experiences and know that they will help me become a better teacher and build connections with my future students. In order to be successful teacher their needs to be a mutual understanding of American culture and the cultures of my students. The World Wise Schools initiative was created with this ideal in mind and I want to take a first-hand advantage of it by building those connections.
It is for that reason that while the third expectation of the Peace Corps is the one that concerns me it is also the one that I want to meet head on. It asks me to go under conditions of hardships and become flexible to the conditions I encounter. No matter the conditions, as a teacher there will always be an enormous amount of pressure on me to succeed in my job and to not let my students down. Those frustrations can become overbearing, but if I take it one day at a time, and look at the positives of my efforts, I am sure that I will reach my goals.
-How these reasons are related to your past experiences and life goals.
-How you expect to satisfy the Peace Corps 10 Core Expectations (please be specific about which expectations you expect to find most challenging and how you plan to overcome these challenges).
Being born to and raised to Russian immigrants, I have always held firmly to the culture and traditions that I have come from. At the same time I have come to realize that there is a strong disconnect from the childhoods my parents had in living in a totalitarian state of government and that of my own in the U.S. I would like to think that I haven't taken such privileges for granted, but I would only be lying to myself. The truth is I could never completely understand their trials and tribulations and what it was like to wait in line for hours in the harsh Russian winters just to buy a loaf of bread at the local market. Nevertheless, it has made me grateful for everything I have been given and I strive to make something out of it.
I do not expect to change the world, and have never considered myself to be an idealist. Nevertheless the values that my parents have instilled on me, makes me want to contribute to the world, even if the impact is only marginal. There are many families around the globe born into situations far harsher and more difficult than that of my parents. I want to give their children the best chance to succeed not just academically, but also in their lives, the same way that my parents opened those paths for me.
I also look at the Peace Corps as an enormous opportunity for self-growth. I have read many stories about the connections volunteers have made with the people within their communities and have realized the tribulations and frustrations that come with it. When I chose my major in inclusive education I knew that I would someday be teaching to a diverse group of students. The Peace Corps gives me an opportunity to adapt to a different culture and make a mutual partnership with a community far different from where I was born. I will cherish every one of these experiences and know that they will help me become a better teacher and build connections with my future students. In order to be successful teacher their needs to be a mutual understanding of American culture and the cultures of my students. The World Wise Schools initiative was created with this ideal in mind and I want to take a first-hand advantage of it by building those connections.
It is for that reason that while the third expectation of the Peace Corps is the one that concerns me it is also the one that I want to meet head on. It asks me to go under conditions of hardships and become flexible to the conditions I encounter. No matter the conditions, as a teacher there will always be an enormous amount of pressure on me to succeed in my job and to not let my students down. Those frustrations can become overbearing, but if I take it one day at a time, and look at the positives of my efforts, I am sure that I will reach my goals.
