Do it scared

Like many high school students, Dena M. felt uncertain about her future. A strong student with numerous interests, Dena saw college as both a necessary step in her educational journey and as something she wanted to approach with intention. She began researching gap year programs that would give her an opportunity to explore the world, immerse herself in new cultures, and help her determine her next steps.

It was through this research that Dena found the Tilting Futures (then Global Citizen Year) Fellowship Program. The program, part of the Peace Corps' Circle of Service network, provides students with a structured global learning immersion experience, where they live with local families in their host country and apprentice with a local nonprofit. "I liked the fellowship program because it was so immersive," Dena shared. "It was the exact mix of service, immersion, and hands-on experience [that I wanted]." She applied and was accepted.

A step towards the Peace Corps

During her fellowship, Dena lived in a rural community in the Sierra region of Ecuador. There, she did an educational apprenticeship teaching English. "My passion was the environment, so I also did a lot of environmental work in my community. My host mom had 20 cows, so she and a local women's cooperative in the community would gather and make yogurt, and we would bring it to the market to sell." Most importantly, Dena's time in Ecuador gave her the time and experience she needed to figure out her future. "In Ecuador, I had time to reflect and think. I realized that I loved the intersection of education and environmental issues so, in college I majored in environmental studies with a focus on education."

Dena had the Peace Corps in the back of her head when thinking of possible next steps after graduating from college. A study abroad trip to Nepal with a professor who had served as a Volunteer in Nepal may have sealed the deal. During the study abroad, the professor talked to Dena more in depth about the Peace Corps and helped inspire her to apply. Dena wanted more technical field experience and knew she valued working directly with communities to make meaningful change. After college, Dena joined the Peace Corps and is currently in her first year of service in Panama, where she works in a community environmental conservation program.

"I'm a Community Environmental Conservationist," Dena explained. "I'm working directly with community members and local government. I teach environmental science at the local school, and I'm also working on initiatives like organic pest control for crops, setting up a tree nursery, and helping install eco-stoves in people's homes."

Learning from others

Dena works directly with the Ministry of the Environment in Panama, which helps provide resources and aid such as tree donations to the school. She formed an eco-group in her community that meets twice a month. Dena says that "so far the group has done some trash cleanups (limpiezas), painted signs saying 'No tira basura,' and 'Ama la tierra,' to post around the community, and painted repurposed tires and planted decorative plants in them to landscape the local health center." The eco-group's next project is constructing trash cans made of plastic bottles." Dena says her goal is for the club to be sustainable and continue to fundraise and do environment-focused projects even after she leaves the community.

Dena also helps at the school garden. A lot of her work, she notes, is learning from others and being an extra helping hand. Her community is small, with a population of around 400, and Dena is the first Volunteer to be posted there. She shares that the community has been welcoming and kind since she arrived. "Every morning, I go on walks with my neighbor," she says, "and in my free time I like to read, journal, crochet, and watercolor paint. When I 'pasear' or walk to others' houses, I'm often gifted with veggies or fruits to bring home. Recently I've gotten lots of papaya, bananas, peppers and plantain."

Currently, Dena is working on applying for a Peace Corps Partnership grant to get funding to construct eco-stoves in her community. Eco-stoves are an eco-friendlier option for an outdoor stove than the common Panamanian three-stone stove. The classic Panamanian outdoor stove produces a lot of smoke and uses a lot of wood, which contributes to deforestation and decreases respiratory health. Through the Ministry of Environment's eco-stove models, there is an option to use locally sourced materials to construct stoves that uses less wood and create less smoke.

Building skills toward Peace Corps service

Today, Dena is grateful for how her Tilting Futures Fellowship helped prepare her for the Peace Corps.

"The transition into the Peace Corps would have been much tougher for me without the skills I learned in my fellowship: leading with curiosity, leadership skills, and being comfortable in uncertainty," she shared. "And truly being part of a community that cares about each other and supports each other makes my heart happy. In Tilting Futures and even more so since my time in Panama, I have learned a lot about where I want to focus my energy. I feel drawn to community-driven work and to making lasting impactful change, and when I return to the United States, I want to hold on to these values wherever I go next."

When asked about what advice she would give to other young people considering doing programs like Tilting Futures or the Peace Corps, Dena says, "Do it! Everybody can gain a lot from doing a gap year and the Peace Corps. Both are such valuable experiences. One of my favorite lines of advice is 'do it scared.' It's okay to be afraid, and it's okay to have hesitations, but do it anyway."

Dena says she often reflects on her year in Ecuador and feels grateful for the time she spent there through Tilting Futures. She built a strong foundation in Spanish skills and in intercultural awareness that really aided her time in Peace Corps Panama. There are similarities in the way Tilting Futures and Peace Corps are structured, she says, and if there are Tilting Future alums that have interest in the Peace Corps, they should go for it. Just like Tilting Futures, she says, Peace Corps will give you resilience and long-lasting transformative relationships.