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My life has been semi-charmed.  I was born and raised in a small Oregon coast town called Waldport where one stop light controls the traffic and late night bonfires, riding bikes around town and surfing an amazing coastline took up my time.  I graduated in a class of 77 people in the year of 2000 and upon graduating high school I decided to attend a small private university in Terre Haute Indiana called Rose-Hulman Institute of technology.  One of many highlights during my university education was my time abroad at the University of Manchester in England.  I graduated from Rose-Hulman in 2005 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and have since decided to use my degree in the Peace Corps as a teacher of mathematics.

The following is one of two essays I wrote during the peace corps application process.  It touches on my reasons for becoming a peace corps volunteer.

Statement of Motivation

As my graduation from Rose-Hulman approaches, I feel the ever present need for volunteering my mechanical engineering degree, and the Peace Corps service represents an extra-ordinary opportunity which will be challenging, beneficial, and unique.   I believe that my determination and rigorous academic background will aid me in this challenge.  I also believe that my travels, both abroad and within the United States, have prepared me for the emotional adjustment to a different culture.  I understand that Peace Corps will be more than a little frustrating and that progress may be slow, but I believe by displaying continual patience and consistency I will endure to assist wherever I may go.

My interest in Peace Corps originated about three years ago when I met some volunteers in New York City.  Their persona, stories, wisdom, and outlook on life intrigued me into exploring the Peace Corps program.  Following my trip to Tanzania Africa, I reconfirmed my ideas and my desire to be part of Peace Crops.  Working as a Peace Corps Volunteer would be a unique opportunity that I would feel extremely proud to be part of.

In my life, personal and professional motivations can be distinguished.  In essence, both represent me taking an active role in my community.  While studying at Rose-Hulman I have been involved with community programs such as Big Brother Big Sister, Habitat for Humanity and March of Dimes.  Being part of a local community is something I hope to accomplish while being part of Peace Corps, even though I understand the learning curve for adapting will be steep.  The following two sections will explain these two motivations and how they fit with the Peace Corps service.

Personal Goals

Attempting my very best at what I try to accomplish is perhaps my chief motivation in life.  No matter how menial a task happens to be, I believe it is important to strive for my best.  Part of doing my best is learning from my mistakes.  I am constantly taking into consideration my mistakes so that in the future I may improve upon them.  Peace Corps will not be exempt from my personal motivation of doing my best.         

Another, perhaps equally important, motivation in my life is my aspiration to help other people.  It makes me feel good to know I have made a positive difference in someone else’s life.  I consider this to be one of my strongest personal attributes.  Peace Corps would allow me to continue my habit of helping where assistance is needed.    

Finally, I believe that being truthful and honest to my self and others around me are two differential elements in my life. I often try to think about the grand scheme of things, not constantly focusing on myself and my life.  Peace Corps encompasses what I believe to be an unconditional service which will improve life at local and global levels.        

Profession Goals

My life is coming upon a major crossroad. As a soon-to-be Mechanical Engineer, my life is beginning to shift from exclusively studying academics to applying what I have learned to the world.  I can’t think of a better way to offer my services as a mechanical engineer than being a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Essentially, I believe that engineers are problem solvers who are constantly searching for ways to improve or help the world.  I believe Peace Corps would be a practical, challenging service in which I could make a positive difference.