PC Motivation Statement

Motivation Statement
Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. You have provided information on how you qualify for Peace Corps service elsewhere in the application. In the space below, please provide a statement (between 250-500 words) that includes:

1) Your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer; and
2) How these reasons are related to your past experiences and life goals.

My ten year goal is to qualify as a Foreign Commercial Service officer to the Department of Commerce. Working toward that end will require assembling stepping stones that gradually increase my credentials. The plan over the next five years is to complete an ambitious 5.5 year undergraduate program consisting of two degrees with three majors and two minors from the University of New Hampshire. Immediately following this, I will pursue the Peace Corps Masters International MBA Program at the Monterey Institute for International Studies in California, at which I shall apply for advanced entry with an existing BS in Business Administration. The reader may see that my future career points to international business and economic development in Latin America. I hope and anticipate a Peace Corps assignment in Latin America, preferably in Mexico. After the twenty seven month service tour and graduation from MIIS, I intend to apply for a Presidential Management Fellowship in the Department of Commerce.

In order of Importance and reverse chronological order my past experience begins with a Washington Center internship with the Small Business Administration in the Office of International Trade during the summer of 2009 in Washington, DC. The work was primarily focused on SBA's strategic alliances in Latin America and helping to continue of the work of the SME Congress of the Americas Steering committee. In the Summer of 2008, I did feasibility analysis and wrote a business proposal for a tire recycling plant in Mexicali, Mexico (see cross-cultural essay). Over the course of my undergraduate academic studies, I spent 15 months studying abroad at the Universities of Salamanca and Granada, Spain (12 months - 2007/08) and at the Universities of Puebla and Guanajuato, Mexico (Summer 2005). While at school at the University of New Hampshire, I spent 1 year as the Resident Assistant and 2 years as a resident in the International Themed Dormitory, which is composed of 1/3^rd foreign exchange students and 2/3^rd global minded American students. During the winter of 2004, I had my first international humanitarian experience rebuilding a house on the edges of Santiago, Dominican Republic as part of a high school community service trip. In addition: throughout high school and college, my family has hosted over 10 foreign exchange students from Germany, France, and Ukraine.

Ever since I learned that my mother served in the Peace Corps in Thailand as an English teacher, 1973-1975, I have been interested in joined the Peace Corps for the invaluable life experience and the opportunity serve in a way that makes a positive impact on the world. I am an avid adventure seeker who counts cultural sensitivity, loyalty, fairness, teamwork, a friendly disposition, and strong belief in ethical practices and the power of positive thinking as among my best personal traits. The Peace Corps Masters International MBA program will be make a significant contribution toward my goal as a Foreign Commercial Service Officer.