The “Change the World” panel will give the public a chance to hear students’ experiences with the Peace Corps and provide information for students who plan on joining the Peace Corps after graduation.

The panel will be from held 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in the Effingham Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The session will include several speakers either in-person or via Skype, with first-hand experience with the program.

Kurt Olausen, director of study abroad, said he plans to Skype Flora Tano, a recruiter from the Washington, D.C. area who is responsible for recruiting students from Eastern.

Sarah Dodoo, a family and consumer sciences graduate from Ghana, was previously an employee with the Peace Corps before coming to Eastern for graduate school, Olausen said.

Dodoo will discuss her time as an employee, the projects she participated in and also her perspective as a native helping in Ghana.

Another speaker, senior economics major Malcolm Simmons is a Peace Corps ambassador on campus, which allows him to serve as a campus liaison for the Peace Corps.

“Basically I am just meeting with the study broad director and Peace Corps affiliates to just talk about some of the things Peace Corps are trying to accomplish as an organization especially here on campus,” Simmons said.

He said he is excited to share information about his involvement and the organization with his peers on campus.

“I’ll be explaining how I’ve brought knowledge to students on the program itself and also giving my input on some ideas I have to expand the campus’s knowledge,” Simmons said. “I will be serving as the eyes and ears of Eastern campus.”
Simmons is on campus so students can easily contact him to learn more if they have questions.

“He is a good point for students to talk to,” Olausen said.

With three people sharing their perspectives and different experiences within the corps, Olausen said he is confident they will provide enough information about the organization and said he hopes students will be encouraged to look further into it.

Since two of the presenters are people on campus, they are the faces students will recognize and go for if they need more advice, Olausen said.

He said he encourages students to come to the panel if they are interested in having an international experience.

Many students who have studied abroad end up wanting to do more overseas, he said, so this information panel is a good opportunity for them.

The Peace Corps pays, and it is an experience to do work outside of the country.

“It’s a way for people to see another part of the world,” Olausen said.

Kennedy Nolen can be reached at 581-2812 or kdnolen@eiu.edu.