From Bristol to the Balkans: RWU Alumna Brings Powerful Combinations to Peace Corps Service

December 17, 2025By Jordan J. Phelan '19

Zoey Cormican '25 stands at the Skopje Fortress on her first day in North Macedonia, where she is serving as an English language co-teacher with the Peace Corps.

NORTH MACEDONIA -On a crisp September morning in North Macedonia, as students shuffle into a sunlit classroom, Zoey Cormican '25 begins her day the same way she began her journey at Roger Williams University - with curiosity, determination, and a belief that small moments can lead to big change.

It's a long way from Bristol. But in many ways, she said, it feels like a continuation of everything she started on campus. "I've always been driven by public service," Cormican said. "But RWU showed me how law, policy, leadership, and community could all fit together - and how powerful they could be when they did."

When Cormican left her hometown of Rochester, N.H., to attend Roger Williams University, she already felt drawn to public service. What she didn't yet anticipate was how many pathways she would discover, and how many she would boldly build herself.

Zoey Cormican '25 poses with local school leaders and Peace Corps counterparts she works alongside while teaching ninth-grade students in North Macedonia.

At RWU, she crafted a powerful combination of studies: a double major in Political Scienceand Legal Studies, supported by three minors in Gender & Sexuality Studies, Psychology, and Professional & Public Writing. That academic mix, she said, deepened her knowledge and reshaped the way she understood people, systems, and the impact of policy on everyday lives.

"I needed to understand not just how systems work, but how they can be improved to serve people more equitably," Cormican said. "RWU gave me the flexibility to explore those intersections and see the human side of policy and law."

That commitment to empathy and equity is now guiding her more than 4,000 miles from campus. Cormican recently began Peace Corps service in North Macedonia, where she teaches English in a local school and immerses herself in the region's language, culture, and traditions. At the same time, she's preparing to pursue a fully funded master's degree in public policy at Northeastern University.

Her journey, she said, began with a simple question, nurtured by faculty, mentors, and opportunities at RWU: What if public service could be both deeply personal and globally connected?

A group of President's Core Values Medallion recipients, including Zoey Cormican '25, celebrate at RWU's Commencement ceremony in May 2025.

Leading Through Community

At Roger Williams University, Cormican made it her mission to connect with and serve her peers. She rose to become Student Senate President, led campus initiatives on wellness and inclusion, and, in a lighter but equally spirited role, donned the feathers of Swoop, the university's beloved mascot.

"When I first got to RWU as a new student, I was terrified," she said. "But I loved that school so much that I felt I had to give back somehow. Whether it was passing a Senate resolution or cheering as Swoop, I just wanted to make people smile and feel connected."

Those experiences, she said, taught her that leadership isn't about being the loudest voice - it's about listening, building trust, and fostering collaboration.

"My time in student government showed me that passion and connection are just as important to leadership as advocacy," she said. "They all stem from what RWU always strives to foster: community."

Accompanied by Professor Joseph Roberts, RWU students attend the Foreign Policy for America Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., engaging with policymakers and foreign policy professionals on global issues and national security.

A Global Perspective Takes Shape

Before RWU, Cormican hadn't pictured herself working internationally. But her passion for policy and diplomacy deepened through opportunities she found on and beyond campus. Encouraged by her professors, she attended the Foreign Policy for America Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.- an opportunity made possible through alumna Kristina Biyad '16, Outreach Director for Foreign Policy for America - where Cormican networked with policymakers and gained her first experience lobbying on Capitol Hill.

"It was a defining moment," she said. "It opened my eyes to how deeply connected local and global issues really are. I wanted to understand how governments and communities can work together to promote justice and equity, and to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it beyond borders."

That momentum carried her from classrooms in Bristol to bustling streets in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi through the study abroad course Political Cultures in Contact. Seeing history, culture, and governance intersect in real time strengthened her belief that meaningful change starts with understanding the lived realities of the communities it affects.

RWU students study abroad in Vietnam through the Political Cultures in Contact course.

"Traveling through Vietnam and meeting students and faculty there strengthened my belief that public service must be grounded in cultural understanding and respect."

Today, that realization is unfolding daily. In North Macedonia, Cormican co-teaches English alongside a local counterpart, learns both the Macedonian and Albanian languages, mentors students, and participates in community projects.

"No two days are the same," she said. "My favorite moments are the small ones - laughing with students, being invited to celebrations, sharing languages. Those moments remind me why service matters."

Zoey Cormican '25 competes as a goalie for the Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team, balancing athletics with leadership and academic achievement.

Supported at RWU. Prepared for What's Next.

Cormican credits her trajectory to the support system she found at Roger Williams University. She points to mentors like Annika Hagley, Associate Dean of the School of Social and Natural Sciences; Politics and International RelationsProfessors Wendy Godek, Joseph Roberts, and June Speakman; Student Lifeleaders Adrianne Harris, John King, and Carol Sacchetti; and Women's LacrosseHead Coach Amanda Magee, who coached Cormican throughout four years playing on the lacrosse team, as foundational to her development.

"They pushed me, believed in me, and helped me grow as a leader," she said. "And they continued supporting me after graduation, even writing recommendation letters that helped me secure my Peace Corps placement. I wouldn't be here without them."

That guidance helped her take the next leap: after completing her service, Cormican will begin a fully funded Master in Public Policy at Northeastern University, a step she hopes will bridge her Peace Corps experience with a future in law, public policy, and eventually elected office.

"The Peace Corps gives me real-world experience in community development," she said. "Northeastern will give me the tools to turn that into policy solutions. Together, they're preparing me for the kind of public service I've always dreamed of."

Looking ahead, Cormican hopes to attend law school, advocate for constitutional rights, and eventually serve in public leadership focused on equity and democratic integrity.

To current RWU students, she offers one piece of advice: "Take every opportunity that challenges you. Get involved. Build real relationships with your professors. It's never about titles - it's about using your passions to make a difference."