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Recent Western Illinois University graduate Kevin McClellan (pictured here in the tan shirt) has been accepted into the Peace Corps, according to a press release from the Peace Corps Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. According to the release, the Tinley Park, IL, native McClellan departed for Jamaica March 9 to begin training as an English education volunteer. Photo Courtesy of the Peace Corps Midwest Regional Office.
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WIU Grad Begins Peace Corps Service in Jamaica

March 16, 2015

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MACOMB, IL/TINLEY PARK, IL — Recent Western Illinois University graduate Kevin McClellan (Tinley Park, IL) has been accepted into the Peace Corps, according to a press release from the Peace Corps Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. According to the release, McClellan departed for Jamaica March 9 to begin training as an English education volunteer.

"McClellan will make a difference teaching English to children ages 12 and younger and will work to expand literacy in both school children and community members to increase personal and professional opportunities," the release stated.

"The reason I decided to join the Peace Corps was because I want to make in impact on this world one child at a time," McClellan said. "I realize that international work is not glamorous, and I will be faced with many hardships during my commitment overseas, but knowing that I am impacting lives will help overcome those struggles."

McClellan graduated from Western Illinois University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in communication. In 2011, McClellan took a mission trip to Rwanda, which opened the door to working globally and serving with the Peace Corps.

"I hope to get a good foundation for international work from my experience with the Peace Corps," he said. "Then I will be able to build upon that to continue to make an impact on an international level."

During the first three months of his Peace Corps service, McClellan will live with a host family in Jamaica to learn the local language and integrate into the local culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills that will help him make a lasting difference, McClellan will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Jamaica, where he will serve for two years.

McClellan will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Jamaica and help McClellan develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills, which will give him a competitive edge when he returns home, the release from the Peace Corps Midwest Regional Office noted. Volunteers return from service as global citizens well positioned for professional opportunities in today's global job market, the release added.

McClellan joins the 284 Illinois residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 8,460 Illinois residents have served as volunteers since the agency was created in 1961.

Last fall, Western began an innovative program that prepares college students for international service in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps (PC) Prep Program at WIU offers current undergraduate students an opportunity to enhance their academic experiences with an emphasis on community development and service.

The PC Prep Program at WIU is managed by the Peace Corps Fellows Program, a unit of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), in conjunction with partnering departments, on the Macomb and QC campuses.

For more information about Western's PC Prep Program, contact the PCF Program at WIU at (309) 298-2706 or via email at pcprep@wiu.edu.

Learn more about the Peace Corps at www.peacecorps.gov.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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