Join the Peace Corps and bring help to the developing world. It sounds like something for only the young. Just don’t tell the 55-year-old retired bank president or the 60-something retired couple—they recently spent two years in Romania with the Peace Corps.
So did LaShawn Smith, 34, a former Pellissippi State Community College student and teacher.
Smith will talk about his Peace Corps experiences Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. in Room 118 of the college’s Division Street Campus, 3435 Division St. The public is invited to attend.
Smith loves to discuss what life was like in Romania. While there, he attended university conferences and had three articles published in Romanian academic journals.
According to him, Eastern Europe has a significant problem in human
trafficking, in which boys and girls are enslaved and prostituted, and he also taught high school students how to avoid becoming its victims.
“It was a wonderful experience,” he said, “and I want to encourage more individuals to join the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps has no age limits—it’s an opportunity that is open to everybody.”
Smith lived on $500 a month, which had to cover his expenses.
“You don’t join to get rich,” he said, “but there are opportunities that people might not know about. For instance, the Peace Corps provides a readjustment allowance when you come home, funding for graduate school at approved universities and help getting a noncompetitive government job.”
Smith already had a lot of living under his belt before he went to Romania. He had been around the world with the Marines: Kuwait, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Australia.
During his time in the military, he developed a strong interest in sociology, and he earned a master’s degree after being discharged. Smith’s passion for sociology—why crime, poverty and racism are more prevalent in some places than others—was lived out in Romania. He already had a master’s in sociology when he joined the Peace Corps and now plans to begin doctoral work in January.
To learn more about Smith and the Peace Corps experience, contact the Pellissippi State Division Street Campus at (865) 971-5200.