By the second semester of their first year, Getlyne Jn Baptiste ’25, Delaney Aikins ’25, and Phoenix Vildor ’25 had already become fast friends. Whether at the Civic and Global Engagement house, the library, or on Haber Green, the three could be seen hanging out together frequently. So, it seems only natural that the trio will enter the Peace Corps together, albeit in different locations.

“I first learned about the Peace Corps through the Civic and Global Engagement house during my sophomore year, and it immediately resonated with my values and goals,” Jn Baptiste said. “With the help of Scott Terry [director of Global Engagement], I began working toward completing the Peace Corps Prep Program and even got my friends involved too!”

Jn Baptiste, who is a Psychology major with a minor in Criminal Justice, will serve in Thailand as an elementary school teacher beginning in January 2026. She gained experience while studying abroad in Namibia through Arcadia’s extensive study abroad program. While there, she taught young students for three months and worked alongside Peace Corps volunteers, giving her a glimpse into what volunteer life would be like.

“I’m deeply grateful for the way everything aligned. It felt like the universe was paving the path for me,” she said. “Studying abroad was probably the best thing Arcadia did to prepare me for the Peace Corps, and having access to the Namibia program was the cherry on top. That experience was invaluable.”

Aikins, a Scientific Illustration major (pre-med emphasis) and Biology minor, is one of those friends that Jn Baptiste nudged to join the Peace Corps. She will be serving in The Gambia as a community health facilitator after choosing the “Where You Are Needed Most” option when completing the application, as her main goal is to serve, not see one specific country or area of the world. The village in which she is placed will help shape her role and responsibilities.

Aikins caught the volunteering bug after Jaisy Omollo, assistant director of Civic and Global Engagement, connected her a couple of years ago with the Philadelphia Free Library in West Oak Lane. There, she volunteered as a tutor and arts and crafts leader for young students.

“The library was really a good experience for me, and really solidified that volunteering was a passion of mine that I could easily commit two years of my life to. I had gained 100 hours of volunteer work at the library within my first year there, but the kids and joy that opportunity brought me kept me there for another year, and I ended up with just under 250 hours of volunteer time.”

Vildor came into the process a little hesitant because of the major commitment it requires. However, both Jn Baptiste and Aikins were able to ease his fears as they worked through things together. Now, he is off to Jamaica to serve as a literacy teacher. Much like Aikins, he will not know his exact duties until he arrives, but he does know he will be working with students ages 6-12. For him, volunteering began in high school and carried over to his time at Arcadia.

“In high school, I used to volunteer at the local library where I grew up,” Vildor explained. “The majority of the time, I was tutoring kids. That’s when I started to fall in love with volunteering. When I came to Arcadia, I heard about Americorp Next Step. I got to work with the first grade and second grade at Glenside Elementary School [through the program].

Vildor, a Global Studies major with a minor in Political Science, found Arcadia’s Peace Corps Prep Program and studying abroad to be extremely helpful when preparing for this opportunity.

“The Peace Corps Prep program helped me. While I didn’t start it until my junior year, my major is really interdisciplinary, so I already had a lot of different classes. In addition, I studied abroad in New Zealand … It pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was able to interact and learn from a lot of different people.”

The Civic and Global Engagement team, which is responsible for ensuring students are informed and prepared for the Peace Corps, received praise from the students for their involvement and help with the process.

“Scott Terry, Jessica Doyle, and Jaisy Omollo were my cornerstones throughout this entire process, and I want to give them a special shoutout,” Jn Baptiste said. “Their guidance and encouragement helped me figure out which post to apply for and kept me motivated from start to finish.”

“Civic and Global Engagement helped me with figuring out what program might be the best for me, and walked me through what I would need to do to complete the Peace Corps Prep Certificate. (Shout out, Scott Terry!),” Aikins added.

As for advice to others considering the Peace Corps? Vildor first addressed the uncertainty of the process.

“Keeping an open mind and weighing out options helps ease the anxiety of not knowing. Having a support system while doing everything helps too, especially if you’re doubting yourself a lot.”

Aikins shared some practical tips.

“Really research the country and job you are being considered for,” she said. “Look at vlogs from other volunteers, follow the Peace Corps countries’ Instagram page to see updates and events, and look into the history of that country.”

And Jn Baptiste shared a more straightforward tip.

“If you’re thinking about applying to the Peace Corps, my advice is simple: go for it. It’s a life-changing opportunity.”

All in all, while the group found inspiration and support in many places, they ultimately kept coming back to each other to stay grounded.

“Since I had two of my close friends also going through this process with me, it gave me the motivation to keep going,” Aikins said. “If I ran into a wall or was having trouble with something, I had people I could tell my problems to, and they either had ideas for a solution or, even better, we could both go on a rant and vent our frustrations.”