Sarah Kosling, a member of the Denison class of 2014 and a resident of Granville, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Nepal on Friday, March 6, to begin training as an agriculture extension volunteer. Kosling will live and work at the community level working to improve food security for rural families. Her possible projects include establishing and maintaining soil and water conservation structures and practices, fruit tree production, fish cultivation, raising trees in small nurseries, apiculture and honey production, livestock health, meat and wool production, range management, vegetable gardening and nutrition education.
“The Peace Corps is everything I envision accomplishing in my future all rolled into one,” Kosling said. “I am helping others and seeing the direct result of that service. I am not only traveling, but am completely immersing myself into a new culture and language while getting to know the kind peaceful people of Nepal. I am gaining a completely different perspective on life and material possession, and meeting other Americans that hold the same values and passions that I hold.”
“Service is woven into the fabric that is Denison University,” Kosling said. “There are countless campus organizations that encourage students to volunteer. Service is not just encouraged in the classrooms and in clubs, but is a part of the campus culture and helped shape what I want to do after graduation.”
During the first three months of her service, Kosling will live with a host family in Nepal to learn the local language and integrate into the local culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills that will help her make a lasting difference, Kosling will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Nepal where she will serve for two years.
Kosling will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Nepal and help Kosling develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens, well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
“I hope to leave behind a sustainable project that will improve the quality of life for many years to come, which can also be used in other developing nations around the world,” Kosling said. “I know that the impact the Peace Corps will have on me will be far greater than the impact I make on Nepal.”