Interview with Alicia Martinez, August 13, 2020

Interview Summary

Alicia Martinez served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia from 2013-2015. She discusses her Mexican immigrant parents' initial objection to her joining the Peace Corps instead of going to law school. During the first year she worked in a youth development project and the second year teaching young mothers English, parenting and other skills. She thinks teaching these women English helped them, but that her greatest impact was through interpersonal conversations she had with these women. She discusses the strong support she got from Peace Corps local and headquarters staff when she had to be evacuated from her first site because she was sexually assaulted and their support in allowing her to extend her service 6 months to intern with a human rights law firm. She traveled alone in southern Africa and upon her return went to law school and used her noncompetitive eligibility to get a job at the Government Services Administration.

Interview Keyword

Namibia (Country of service) Health programs Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Diversity in the Peace Corps 2013-2015 (Date of service) Positive role of local Peace Corps staff Interpersonal relationships Outlook Sexual assault Mexican Americans Hispanic Americans Latinx Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community Development

Interview LC Subject

Namibia Peace Corps (U.S.)--Namibia Peace Corps (U.S.) Culture. Intercultural communication. Interpersonal relations and culture Travel Voluntarism. Volunteers Volunteer workers in community health services Language and languages. Interpersonal communication and culture Communication and culture. Volunteer workers in community development Acculturation.

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