Author Archives: Amy Potthast

05.07.09
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Business Professionals Forced to Wait Longer for Peace Corps Assignments

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the very tight funnel through which Peace Corps sends all applicants, for increasingly fewer Volunteer spots around the world. (It’s complicated — you might want to read that post.)

I wrote about the plight of generalists —the well-educated applicants who can learn to do different assignments well, but aren’t specialists in any fields currently requested by Peace Corps host countries — whose application numbers far exceed the number of open generalist Volunteer positions due to recent budget woes.

This past Monday, when next year’s Volunteer positions opened up for nomination, the problem wasn’t for the generalists. Most generalist openings have been delayed a couple more weeks.

The people who got shut out of Peace Corps this time around were the business professionals, in some cases people with 30 years of business experience. Peace Corps’s two assignments that require a background in business include:

  • Business Advising — requiring either a Bachelors in a business-related discipline, or a high school diploma and four years of business management experience. These Volunteers help people in their communities plan and Continue reading →
05.07.09
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AmeriCorps Video and Photo Contest 2009

picture-21During the month of May, current and formerAmeriCorps members can enter award-worthy videos and photos to the annual contest that shows off their skill in getting things done.

For the video contest, your task is to create a 60-second video that AmeriCorps programs can use in future recruitment efforts. The film can feature live action, animation, or any thing else you can think of as long as it’s not offensive. You can take a look at past winners from 2007 and 2008.

You can vote for the winning video, from the five finalists, between June 15 and July 6. Learn more about how the video contest will be judged.

For the photo contest, you’ve got to capture the impact of AmeriCorps in one shot. Take a look at the guided questions here, Continue reading →

05.06.09
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New Podcast: Grad School Financial Aid for Professionals

Photo via the East SA blog

Photo via the East SA blog

The newest Idealist podcast features Regina Garner, Director of Student Financial Services for the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Idealist.org’s Jung Fitzpatrick talks with Regina who dispels some common myths that working professionals have about qualifying for financial aid and to learn more about the ins and outs of financial aid for graduate education. Listen now!

Whether you’re thinking about graduate school–or are already on your way–this podcast helps answer many questions about the financial aid process. Topics include the basics of how financial aid is determined, the role of The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 in debt forgiveness and loan repayment as well as other issues for professionals transitioning to graduate school.

If you have more questions about grad school, check out our free Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center, which in addition to articles on financing your graduate education, includes information on preparing for, applying to and alternatives to graduate school. You can also post questions to our Graduate Education Forum! Follow Idealist’s GradResources on Twitter.

Also be sure to check out the upcoming Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good this summer in Washington D.C. and New York City and this fall in 16 cities in the United States and Canada.

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05.06.09
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First Generation Americans in the Peace Corps

Picture 3Special motivations and circumstances can arise when first-generations citizens of the United States aspire to Peace Corps service.

Listen to the recording of the call, May 15th, which shared the insights of guests Sheldon Gen, a returned Volunteer, and Roshan Devaraj, an invitee, about the special role of first generation Americans in the Peace Corps.

“My parents are immigrants from China, and it definitely took time for them to warm up to the idea of Peace Corps, but now it has been a benefit for my whole family,” says Sheldon (Peace Corps Kenya, 1990-1992).

“When I was eight years old, I immigrated to America with my family from Singapore. I grew up in a bi-racial family where three languages are spoken and [I] enjoy exploring different languages and cultures,” explains Roshan (who will leave this year for Peace Corps Kazakhstan). “Being a first-generation American was one of the central issues which Continue reading →

05.01.09
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Corps Finances: The Problems of Unbanked and Underbanked

Barriers to banking are highlighted in results of an FDIC survey published earlier this year, with implications for corpsMixed Cash by Stopnlook, Flickr Creative Commons members and the communities they serve.

An important gateway to building financial assets is having a checking and savings account at a bank or credit union. People without an account at a mainstream financial institution are less likely to own a home or other significant assets, and more likely to pay higher transaction fees for cashing their paychecks, taking out small loans, and remitting money to family members in other countries. Also without an account to deposit money in, cash can be more easily stolen, lost (as in a house fire), and spent.

Meet the unbanked and underbanked members of the community. According to the FDIC, “unbanked” refers to people Continue reading →