Am I qualified for the Peace Corps?

Question

During High School I volunteered at the library organizing and cleaning along with teaching elementary school children to read better. I have volunteered in the hospital and the church every weekend. I am a trained Red Cross volunteer. I am still in high school, it is my senior year.

Answer 1

92% of all PCVs have a college degree. The other 8% are usually farmers who are older than rocks but twice as tough and filled with practical experience.

I'd suggest you hold tight to your dreams and go to college; major in education or health or nursing

Answer 2

Yes, your resume sounds great! There are lots of programs to get involved in and the Peace Corps is one of them.

Here are some other links to look into.

Blessings!

Make sure you click the top tabs on The Hunger Site:

Hunger, Breast cancer, Child Health Literacy Rain Forest Animal Rescue.

Answer 3

Although the Peace Corps only requires you to be 18 and a citizen, it is very hard to get in without a college degree. They prefer you have one because it shows a specialized knowledge in an area, a maturity, and often there are experiences you have in college that are hard to get elsewhere. I was able to travel to China, Japan, and S. Korea in college due to class trips. I never would have been able to do that anywhere else, and that gave me a small amount of international experience and can show that I have an idea of how to be culturally acceptable and culturally sensitive.

The fact that you are a trained Red Cross volunteer is very good, as the Peace Corps will always need health volunteers. Also, tutoring children is very good because Peace Corps volunteers will always be interacting with children and always be teaching someone and need to have skills to relay those messages.  

You definitely have a good background for being accepted by the Peace Corps, but it would still be very difficult for you to be accepted straight out of high school. I would suggest going to college and looking into volunteering/clubs/work during college....as well as looking into Americorps as something to do until you finish college. It is basically the Peace Corps, except domestic and not as long. That being said, keep in mind the Peace Corps has a rigorous application process (often 9 months or so) and upon acceptance, you will be living abroad for 27 months.

If you really have your heart set on the Peace Corps, it can't hurt to apply. But I definitely suggest college and some more volunteer experience (you can never volunteer to much!)

GL!