Interview with Jessica Ferro, October 18, 2022

Interview Summary

Jessica Ferro, RPCV Ukraine, 2004-2006, Group 27 Ferro graduated from college with an undergraduate degree in international relations, thinking that she’d enter the foreign service. Peace Corps would provide her with valuable overseas experience as she moved in that direction. Ferro lived in Berdyansk, in the Zaporizha oblast in Ukraine with a warm and caring host family. In the gymnasium, she taught 9-11th graders English, along with American and British History and Literature. As a secondary project, she taught business English to adults in the community. Ferro spent her summers collaborating with fellow PCV’s at an English immersion camp in the mountains of Western Ukraine for high school students. One of her main accomplishments is her lasting relationship with her host mother and daughter. As a result of her Peace Corps experiences, Ferro says that she learned that she can do and tolerate most anything: “I did Peace Corps!” She’s confident that she’s able to handle life well as a result.

Interview Keyword

Ukraine International Relations Foreign Service Berdyansk, Ukraine Host family Gynmasium Adult education Summer immersion camp Confidence

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