How the Academy for Global Scholars and Peace Corps Prep Shaped One UT Graduate’s Future
Yanet Ramirez Perez’s global journey at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, began before she set foot on campus and will continue beyond graduation as she travels to Peru with the Peace Corps.
Ramirez was selected to take part in the Academy for Global Scholars (AGS), a program for first-year students that provides a unique opportunity for global engagement and individual growth. The program begins in August, before classes start, and ends with a study abroad experience at the end of the spring semester.
“I had never been outside the country until that trip,” Ramirez said. “… It really just opened my eyes. It really made me think about what I want to do in the future. … I definitely think that was a very eye-opening experience that made me want to continue to travel and just help out in other areas.”
Adam Wilcox, research professor for the School of Natural Resources, was the faculty leader for AGS at the time. He is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Ramirez learned about the Peace Corps for the first time when talking with Wilcox and soon felt that it was exactly the kind of opportunity she was looking for.
“I had always thought that I was going to do something along the lines of Doctors Without Borders or some kind of international organization that deals with traveling and just helping other people on other sides of the world,” Ramirez said. “… With UT being a partner school, I feel like it’d be a really, really good way for me to continue to do something that I want to do while still getting that experience that I want.”
Wilcox valued his time working with Ramirez from her freshman year through graduation.
“While sharing time in Costa Rica with her on the AGS trip, it was very apparent to me that Yanet would make an excellent Peace Corps Volunteer,” Wilcox said. “… She was always quick to help her peers navigate language and cultural issues due to her fluency in Spanish and love for Latin American culture.”
Ramirez started her career at UT as a nursing major but later switched to public health with a minor in global development. Upon graduation, she will enter the Peace Corps as a community health facilitator in Peru, working in schools and with local health ministries.
As part of the Peace Corps Prep program, she volunteered with the Knoxville Family Justice Center and Remote Area Medical.
“It all just translated to what I want to do because I do want to work with marginalized communities, especially Spanish-speaking communities, because my family is Mexican-American … so I know that there’s always been a need in the world and I just really want to continue to work in that avenue,” Ramirez said. “I think Peace Corps really translated into why I want to do what I want to do and just seemed like a good way to travel the world, get to meet other people, and actively create positive change where I’d be placed.”
As she prepares to head off to her assignment in Peru, Ramirez looks forward to experiencing a different culture and interacting with people who bring different perspectives and life experiences.