How Far Will You Go? Peace Corps Recruiter Asks Ag Students

For those living in many third-world countries, the agricultural assistance of Penn State students working in the Peace Corps is invaluable. For these same students, the reward for this work is equally priceless.

Nellie Bhattarai, a recent environmental resource management graduate from Muncy, Pa., served as a volunteer soil conservation specialist in the Peace Corps from 2002 to 2004 in Nepal. Now, she’s the Peace Corps recruiter at Penn State, encouraging students to explore “the toughest job you’ll ever love.”

“If you look at any third-world country, they all have a significant agricultural base,” she says. “Helping these countries become self-sustaining is largely agricultural and one of the main goals of the Peace Corps. We want to teach people how to better manage the land so that they can support themselves and future generations.”

This can range from simply sharing knowledge about how to grow better vegetables, to developing biogas systems (using manure to generate gas to provide families with electricity and/or cooking fuel). “The Peace Corps can really use agricultural students’ knowledge of the land, crops, animals, and food,” Bhattarai says. “There is a strong demand for agricultural students and the skills they have.”

In keeping with the Peace Corps slogan, “Life is Calling, How Far Will You Go?” Bhattarai also believes experience with the Peace Corps is rewarding and invaluable for students. “Students should get involved in the Peace Corps because it’s an awesome experience that will impact their lives forever,” she says. “I believe all humans have a desire for adventure, and I believe that working with the Peace Corps is one of the most exciting ways to fulfill this desire.