Kara Leavitt of Sherwood Selected for Peace Corps Environment Assignment in Madagascar
Peace Corps Volunteer Profile:
Name: Kara Leavitt
Age: 22
Hometown: Sherwood, Ore.
Alma Mater: Oregon State University, Biology and Animal Science, 2011
Country of Service: Madagascar
Assignment: Environment
Departure: February 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON /February 8, 2012/ — Kara Leavitt, 22, of Sherwood, Ore., has been accepted into the Peace Corps.
Leavitt will be departing for Madagascar on February, 2012 to begin pre-service training as a Environment Peace Corps volunteer.
Leavitt says she was motivated to apply to the Peace Corps because, “I have wanted to join the Peace Corps since I knew it existed,” said Leavitt. “I am at a point in my life where I am ready for a change. The combination of travel and volunteer work that the Peace Corps provides is perfect for me.”
During her first three months of service, Leavitt will live with a host family in Madagascar to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist her host country, she will be sworn into service and be assigned to a community where she will live and work for two years with the local people.
Leavitt is a 2011 graduate of Oregon State University, where she earned a degree in Biology and Animal Science.
Leavitt joins the 275 Oregon residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 5,787 Oregon residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
About Volunteers in Madagascar:
More than 892 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Madagascar since the program was established in 1993. Volunteers on this Indian Ocean island work in the areas of education, environmental and agricultural conservation, health and HIV/AIDS awareness, hygiene promotion, environmental education and natural resource management, and business development. Many volunteers also work with their communities to prevent malaria and receive support from the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) program. Currently, 113 volunteers are serving in Madagascar. Volunteers are trained and work in French and Malagasy.
About Peace Corps:
More than 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 countries since President John F. Kennedy established the agency in 1961.
Through their service, volunteers increase awareness of America around the world and help our country gain an understanding of other cultures beyond our borders. Currently, 9,095 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 75 countries.
Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment. Volunteers live and work with a community overseas to reach goals in education, health, business, agriculture, the environment, youth development and more.
Volunteers receive many benefits, including transportation, a living stipend, medical care, graduate school opportunities, student loan deferment, $7,425 upon completion and much more. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens, at least 18-years old, and in good health. There is no upper age limit and no cost to participate.
For more information and online applications, please visit www.peacecorps.gov.
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Media Contact: Melanie Forthun of Peace Corps, 206-239-6603 or mforthun@peacecorps.gov.
