SHRIVER PEACEWORKER FELLOWS

Established at UMBC with the founding of VISION: A growing network of social change leaders building peace and community through service and the Shriver Center in 1993, Peaceworker learning in Sargent Shriver’s spirit of practical idealism. is grounded in the early 1960s vision of MISSION: To support and engage Returned Sargent Shriver and President Kennedy who Peace Corps Volunteers through a service- learning fellowship program preparing them for realized the potential impact of Peace Corps lives and leadership in diverse fields of public and Volunteers returning home who were ready private service. To impact pressing social needs in the Baltimore region through partnerships with to apply the lessons and experience they had community agencies involving direct and significant service of Peaceworker Fellows focused on creative gained abroad. Each year the Peaceworker solutions across a range of social concerns. Program invites 6-10 returned Peace Corps “The benefits of the Peace Corps will not be volunteers to participate on a competitive limited to the countries in which it serves. Our basis in a two year social change leadership own young men and women will be enriched by the experience of living and working in program integrating three key components: foreign lands. They will have acquired new graduate study, community service skills and experience which will aid them leadership, and ethical reflection. Fellows are in their future careers and add to our own country’s supply of trained personnel and supported by a graduate assistantship that teachers. They will return better able to assume includes tuition remission, health insurance the responsibilities of American citizenship and with greater understanding of our global and living stipend benefits. responsibilities.”

– John F. Kennedy, Message to Congress March 1, 1961

Number of fellows since 1993

Fellows today are: leaders of non-profit Percentage of fellows and grassroots advocacy initiatives, who continue lives working in local, state, and federal committed to service government agencies, teachers, and community leaders. Kevin Okun Ciara Christian Shriver Peaceworker Fellow Shriver Peaceworker Fellow 2007-2009 2016-2018 and a Public Service Scholar with the Sondheim Currently an elementary school Nonprofit Leadership Program in teacher in Baltimore City Summer 2017 After Peace Corps, I became Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in interested in transitioning Language, Literacy, and Culture from a career in newspapers at UMBC to a career in public schools. I knew when I came home The Shriver Peaceworker from Peace Corps (Rwanda ’13-’15) that I wanted to program enabled me to serve in that capacity as attend graduate school. As I was researching programs well as join and build community in and around that accommodated the things I wanted and needed, Baltimore. My involvement with this program gave I fell in love with UMBC, particularly the Sociology me an opportunity to work and live among other Department and the Peaceworker Fellowship. I Peaceworkers. Eventually, through service placement was so drawn to the course offerings around social and academics at UMBC, I was able to intern in construction, identity and social inequality. Baltimore City and get hired as a teacher. I’ve been teaching for nine years now. The Shriver Peaceworker Fellowship is unique from several of the other Coverdell Fellowships for RPCVs in As a result of my service with the Peaceworker that it isn’t restrictive to a specific or set of disciplines, program, I learned that service doesn’t just mean and it has this three-pronged approach of scholarship, giving of yourself to others. It also means learning service placement, and ethical reflection. Not only can from those you serve. There are so many ways to live you pursue any degree of your choosing, the program a life of service and Baltimore is a great place to do it. places you with a site that allows you to continue Peaceworkers is a great program to figure out what it to serve Baltimore in the spirit of your Peace Corps looks like. service; you get to utilize and hone skills you’ve already developed, work to address some issue that you’re passionate about, and develop amazing relationships, building a network of people who are equally passionate about serving others.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a result of my service is to trust in myself, my abilities, and the quality of my work. The work with the Peaceworker program is hard, but it’s so worth it. Grad school by itself is challenging and balancing it with a service placement of any kind, in addition to other commitments really takes adjustment, balance, and time management. Sometimes the days are long and sometimes you feel small or incapable or inadequate in some way, but once you fight through those things and find your stride, the growth you will experience personally and professionally are indescribable.

The work that I’ve done with the Peaceworker program has only solidified and deepened my passions and commitment to education and more specifically to equity and justice within educational settings.

I’ve also learned to ask questions and for guidance, to take risks and put myself “out there,” to be open to trying and exploring things that feel outside of my “wheelhouse,” and the importance of collaborating and learning to trust others. I think each of those lessons will serve me as I move forward in my education and my career.