May Graduate Is First Student to Earn College’s Peace Corps Prep Certification and Join the Peace Corps
Wilmington College graduating senior Dylan Sander will represent the third generation of his family to join the Peace Corps when he starts a 27-month stint in Sierra Leone in June.
PICTURED: Senior Dylan Sander speaks about his Peace Corps assignment with WC First Lady, Sue Reynolds (LEFT), and Dr. Erika Goodwin, vice president for academic affairs, at a reception held in his honor at the Peace Resource Center.
Sander, a psychology major from Morrow, is the College’s first student who completed its nascent Peace Corps Prep program and be accepted into the preeminent international service organization.
Founded at the behest of President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps has long been a familiar entity in Sander’s family, as his grandmother was among the first Americans to volunteer in India and his step-father served in Samoa.
“It’s a humbling feeling to carry on what’s become a family tradition,” he said, noting his job will be teaching English to residents in a somewhat isolated part of the country. “I’m looking forward to helping out those who haven’t had the advantages I’ve had growing up as a citizen of the United States.”
Sierra Leone is a small nation of 7.3 million in West Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. The former British colony was a key departure point during the slave trade and its capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former enslaved persons.
While Sierra Leone’s official language is English, Sander understands that, while English is spoken in the larger cities, persons in the outlying areas where he will serve speak tribal dialects and a unique English slang mixed with Spanish known as “Krio.”
Along with his family history with the Peace Corps, Sander credits his participation as a freshman in the College’s Spring Lobby Trip to Washington, D.C., as wanting to make a difference in the world — it sparked his interest in volunteering overseas and seeing fascinating locales. He subsequently learned about WC’s Peace Corps Prep program, the completion of which gives graduates priority consideration for a Peace Corps assignment.
“The Peace Corps is a very unique program — you go somewhere and do good while representing your country,” he said. “I’m excited — but also a little nervous.”
His prep curriculum featured global awareness, education and Spanish courses, among others, as well as studying abroad in Colombia and student teaching English as a second language at Wilmington Middle School.
“These have been incredible experiences,” Sander said, adding that going to Colombia was “probably the best way to ease into” his upcoming trip to Sierra Leone. Also, he’s already met some of his fellow workers in West Africa — at least virtually. “Through Facebook, I’ve been in communication with Peace Corps volunteers serving in Sierra Leone. These have been very positive interactions.”
Sander believes his Peace Corps work will lend itself to the interest he has in cross-cultural psychology, a field he plans to pursue following his service. The College held a send-off reception for Sander April 16 that also served to publicize the College’s unique Peace Corps Prep, which is an official partner program between WC and the Peace Corps.
“At Wilmington College, I’ve had a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have received at other colleges,” he said. “When I talk with friends who go to other schools, I really get the impression that Wilmington is unique.”
