PIC hosts reception for new Peace Corps volunteers

The Padnos International Center hosted a sendoff reception April 23 in the L. William Seidman Center for new graduates who will enter the Peace Corps.

Sharon Ceron-Espinosa, Peace Corps campus recruiter for West Michigan, said about 20 area residents and new graduates will enter the Peace Corps later this year. While housed at Grand Valley, Ceron-Espinosa works with students at all area colleges and universities to determine if serving in the Peace Corps is an option for them.

Ceron-Espinosa was an education assistant in Ethiopia during her two-year Peace Corps assignment. She told the audience their assignments will be a "formidable experience."

"You will come back a more understanding person because you have had an opportunity to learn more about another culture," she said.

Breeanna Sewers will receive a master's degree in social work during Grand Valley's commencement ceremony on Friday. In July, she will begin training for her assignment in Botswana, in southern Africa, as an HIV/AIDS prevention educator. Her interest in joining the Peace Corps stemmed from a study abroad experience in Ireland.

"My social work professors have always emphasized being culturally diverse so having this background will serve me well after my assignment is over," Sewers said.

Learn more about Grand Valley's Peace Corps connection online at gvsu.edu/pic.