SUU Alumni Accepted For Peace Corps Service
Published: June 18, 2019 | Author: Savannah Byers | Read Time: 2 minutes
Recently accepted into the Peace Corps, Kaysville, Utah native Christine Sithivong will be traveling to Malawi, Africa to be a health volunteer for two years beginning this June. Sithivong graduated in 2018, majoring in Exercise Science and minoring in Biology at Southern Utah University.
“I decided to join the Peace Corps because I wanted to do long-term volunteer work after graduating college,” said Sithivong. “I really wanted to go anywhere in Africa because I’ve never been to that continent and it has always interested me.”
During the first three months of her service, Sithivong will live with a host family in Malawi before being sworn into service. She will then be assigned to a community in Malawi where she will live and work for two years with the local people, providing education about HIV/AIDS, malaria, and women’s health.
“I am very excited to be doing volunteer work in the Health sector, as I am hoping to go into the medical field as a career,” said Sithivong. “My time at SUU helped shape me to be more independent and ambitious.”
After taking Climbing I from Professor Jacob Manning during her sophomore year, Sithivong found both a new hobby and motivation for her future post-SUU.
“Even though I will never be a professional rock climber, this course really inspired me to slow down appreciate the little things in life,” said Sithivong. “My experience from SUU will definitely help my problem solving skills and collaboration with other team members in Africa.”
“Christine is a capable and self-driven woman, and I’m excited to see the positive impact she has around the globe,” said Professor Manning. “Christine’s observant nature will help her grow immensely from this experience, and I believe it will also help her recognize opportunities where she can serve others needs best.”
Courses in the Department of Kinesiology and Outdoor Recreation are designed not only to provide students with the knowledge and skills to live healthy lifestyles, but also the opportunity to share their experience and abilities with others. To learn more about the department, visit the KOR website.
Tags: Outdoor Recreation Exercise Science Alumni Biology International Affairs College of Education and Human Development