Interview with Katrina Mathis, March 19, 2021

Interview Summary

This is the second of two interviews with Katrina Mathis.

After reading an article in a 10th-grade civics class, Katrina Mathis knew that she would join the Peace Corps. Mathis graduated from the University of Georgia in political science and history. She applied to Peace Corps through a program promoting and fast-tracking diversity. Invited to a health project in Guinea, she first trained in Senegal. The father of Mathis’s local family was also the head doctor at the health center where she worked. She gave health talks, particularly related to child/maternal health. In addition, Mathis helped build a primary school in response to a community request. Mathis felt a natural kinship as an African American with the people of Guinea. The Islamic religion and its polygamous tradition contrasted to her Southern Baptist upbringing, which stimulated introspection of her religious values. Mathis’s mantra was, 'When a window opens on local reality, a lot of mirrors also appear to reflect back on me.'

Interview Keyword

Guinea (Country of service) 1994-1996 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Peace Corps minority recruitment initiatives Medical care West Africa Thies (Senegal) Senegal Thiès (Senegal) Fouta Djallon (Guinea) French (Language) Health training Health centers Health presentations Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) School construction Women volunteers Diversity in the Peace Corps Peul (Fulani) Pular (Language) African American volunteers Black volunteers Islam Muslims Polygamy Relationships Pita (Guinea) Bantignel (Guinea) Peace Corps recruitment coordinators Peace Corps recruiters 1997-2002 (Date of service) Peace Corps Regional Office, Atlanta (Ga.)

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guinea Guinea Acculturation Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages Lifestyles Manners and customs Voluntarism Volunteers

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Interview Usage

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