This past March, three recent UVM graduates were inducted as Peace Corps Officers in Ghana’s Volta Region, all working in the sector of Community Health Facilitation. Celeste Moyer ’25, Malia Glassman ’25, Alexis Torykian ’25 made some time to speak with us about their experiences so far.

Interviewer: Tell us about your major and your UVM highlights. What professors made an

impact? Any clubs, classes, or other experiences stood out?

Celeste: I majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry and Health and Society. In regard to the Peace Corps, the class that stuck out to me the most was Global Health Development and Diversity. The class introduced me to global health organizations that aimed to help developing populations with a community centered approach. The class gave me an itch to learn about global health first-hand.

Malia: I was a Health and Society Major with a Sociology minor. When I arrived at UVM freshman year, I had no idea what I wanted to major in or where my interests lay. I explored a wide range of courses across different disciplines in an effort to discover what would resonate with me. Sophomore year, I took Criminal Justice and Public Health, taught by Professor Kathy Fox. This class introduced me to the concepts of drug dependency as an illness and how stigma impacts an individual's ability to regulate treatment and justice. This class unlocked my passion for public health, health equity, and social determinants of health. I expanded these interests with classes such as Global Health: Development and Diversity taught by Professor Jeanne Shea, Sociology of Health and Illness taught by Professor Jon Shaffer and Culture, Health and Healing taught by Professor Ellen Kozelka. These classes gave me the room to explore research topics and read diverse perspectives and ultimately shaped my decision to join the Peace Corps.

Alexis: At UVM, I was a varsity student swim athlete with a double major in Health and Society and Sociology. My coaches, Gerry Cournoyer and Brian Keats, made a huge impact on my collegiate experience. They were not only my coaches but also mentors and friends. Through swimming, I built lifelong friendships with my teammates who encouraged me to be my best both in the pool and academically. I will forever remember my team winning the American East Championship my junior year. Two of my favorite professors were Jonathan Shaffer and Jennifer Lai in the Sociology department. They were both incredible mentors that took an interest in my personal and academic growth. Their course content and teaching style challenged me to think critically and contextually, such as Sociology of Health and Illness, Social Theory, Healthcare in America, and Advanced Environmental Sociology. These classes pushed me to think outside the box and better understand others in the world around me.

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Interviewer: What does being in the Peace Corps mean to you – considering all of the complications of the current political landscape?

Celeste: The Peace Corps means a lot to me, especially right now with the recent shutdown of USAID and current political setting. Although I’m not currently residing in the US, I feel my family and friend’s stress back home with the uncertainty of what these next few years might look like. It gives me hope that there are still so many people fighting to do good in this world. I can see the direct positive impact that my colleagues and I make in schools, clinics, and communities, and it gives me a sense of purpose.

Malia: To me, the Peace Corps means connecting with other people from different cultures and ways of life through shared humanity. There is so much division and fear in the world right now and being in the Peace Corps gives me hope through small everyday interactions such as sharing a meal, learning a new skill or making someone laugh.

Alexis: Being in the Peace Corps means personal development, growth, and finding who I truly am because some days can be really hard and unpredictable. I look forward to developing new relationships in my community, learning, and working closely with them. I believe the Peace Corp is more important than ever before given the current political climate. It is an opportunity to develop bonds with people, encourage communication, understanding, awareness, and partnership.

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Interviewer: Tell us about the day you were all sworn in.

Malia: On March 26, 2026, I was sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer with two fellow Catamounts. They have brought me so much comfort through this entire process. While we did not know one another at UVM, it was such a relief when I accepted the position and found out that two other alums would also be joining me. We facetimed and compared packing and preparation strategies the months leading up to our departure, and they have become a critical support system for me as I embark on a challenging journey.

Celeste: The day of swear-in was a special moment for us. It signified the completion of our lengthy training, but also the entry into something much bigger. It meant that we were joining a force of thousands of individuals who had given up their time to a promote global peace and friendship. We wore Ghanaian fabrics that had been sewn by our homestay families and we spoke in our learned languages a short statement towards our future cause. It was an ethereal moment, which was further magnified by the fact that I was surrounded by two other UVM alumnus who had grown to be two of my best

friends.

Alexis: The day Celeste, Malia, and I were sworn in it was a significant milestone as we made it through training and will now be in our communities serving for two years. We were sworn in with 28 other cohort volunteers across the sectors of Agriculture, Health, and Education and will be serving in different locations across Ghana that include the Volta, Bono East, North, Eastern, and Greater Accra. The actual ceremony was at the Old Ambassador's House in Accra. We said our oaths to serve and then shared a meal with the locals and Peace Corp people!

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Interviewer: Tell us about your time in Ghana so far. What are you hoping to gain from this experience? What projects will you be involved in?

Celeste: I’ve been in Ghana for about three months now, going through a vigorous pre-service training. We have been learning language and technical skills for about 8 hours a day, six days a week. Although it’s stressful, the preparation is necessary to be able to integrate into our communities and communicate with locals. In these next few years, I’ll be working on projects focused on sanitation, child welfare, and maternal health. They’ll include a broad range of work including educating in schools, assisting at local clinics,

and helping to develop community capacity.

Malia: Although I have been in Ghana since early January, as I am writing this, I have only been an official volunteer for 3 weeks. For now, I am focused on meeting the people in my new community, settling in and providing support at the monthly Child Welfare Clinics. During my service, I hope to create health clubs in the school, create a school garden, help make necessary changes to the clinic, and create a community project that is sustainable and improves water sanitation and hygiene.

Alexis: My goal is to fully immerse myself into the Ghanaian culture for two years and make an impact on local people’s lives. I also hope to learn more about healthcare and how to effectively deliver it on a local basis. My experience so far has been amazing. I just finished 2 ½ months of training while staying at my local homestay. It prepared us for our community living and working. My host mother, Lucy, taught me how to cook, clean, live like a local, and experience a typical day of a Ghanian. Training days are usually long and full of learning the local language and technical training about the healthcare system. One of my most memorable moments so far was playing in an all-women soccer game with the locals and encouraging women to participate in sports.

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Interviewer: What are some of your longer-term goals?

Celeste: My goals throughout the Peace Corps are to learn as much as I can from a culture vastly different than what I’ve grown up with. I want to develop sustainable projects that will be able to function after I’ve returned to the states. I hope to build lasting connections with local community members that I will be able to call friends for the rest of my life. After service, I hope I can carry what I’ve learned back with me and use it to shape my future work.

Malia: I do not have any concrete plans about what I will do after my service as I do not know who I will be in two years. Currently, my plan is to earn a master's in public health or health policy. For now, I am just focused on, and looking forward, to my two years in my new community in Ghana.

Alexis: I hope to apply to graduate school in Public Health and continue my career in that field. UVM was the perfect launching place for me both academically and personally. It prepared me for a life of hard work, team dynamics and bonding, and skills to impact the lives of other people around the world. GO CATS!

The Peace Corps has served 144 countries since its founding in 1961. More than 240,000 throughout that time have put forth their passion and skills “in support of community-led development and intercultural exchange” (2026 Fast Facts, Peace Corps). On average, 3,000 volunteers are deployed to over 60 countries yearly. UVM, in particular, is a prolific producer of Peace Corps volunteers, ranking third among medium-sized American universities.