Volunteering...working for no pay? That was just something I was not interested in. In high school I struggled to finish 30 hours of service for which I was given 4 years to finish.

All through college I did some small service here and there. One day my sister told be about a service trip to Brazil, I thought, "Cool--an opportunity to visit another country." A couple months later I land in Brazil and started to volunteer, and my eyes opened. Hunger and poverty were common situations that the local people found themselves in. This did not sit well with me. I had just gotten off a plane with my fancy gadgets and nice clothing, basically a slap in the face to the locals. The work we did with Service For Peace changed who I am and what I see worth fighting for.

As I sit here in the DR I realize I have a ton of credit to give to SFP, they are one of the main reason I joined the Peace Corps. Imagine that, the Peace Corps. Two weeks in Brazil convinced me that I needed to devote more time to this cause. So, I decided to give 27 months, minor upgrade. Never looked back."