Interview with Marla Swanson, August 25, 2023

Interview Summary

Marla Swanson served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan from 1994 to 1996 in the Education Program. Marla had an interest in other countries from an early age. She was drawn to Peace Corps as a way to gain teaching experience while immersing herself in another culture. She applied while attending Central Washington University, and began her service shortly after graduation. Marla’s group was the second to serve in Kazakhstan. They trained in Almaty, learning Russian and Kazakh languages. Marla’s first assignment was in Uralsk at a boarding school. She later moved to Povladar and taught English at a technical university. After Peace Corps she taught English in Moldova for two years. She returned to the U.S. and attended graduate school at Monterey Institute of International Studies. Her work afterwards focused on women’s rights issues in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Marla credits her Peace Corps experience with changing her life’s trajectory and enabling her to pursue a career working internationally.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Kazakhstan (country of service) 1994-1996 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Peace Corps (U.S.)--1990-2000 Peace Corps (U.S.) – Training (cultural, language, technical) Central Washington University Almaty (training) Kazakh (language) Russian (language) Uralsk (assignment) Povladar (assignment) Moldova Soros Foundation Monterey Institute of International Studies

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