MSU alumna Chelsea Rawe left the country for Nepal on Sept. 5 as part of the Peace Corps where she will train to be a health extension volunteer. During the next three months she will live with a host family to accelerate her language and cultural immersion.
During her two-year stint, she will strive to help raise awareness about the need for health education through a variety of activities, such as identifying local leaders to teach families about maternal and child health and organizing trainings on nutrition, sanitation and oral re-hydration therapy.
“I feel it is important to give back, because I know I have received so much help and support in my life that has enabled me to achieve what I have,” said Rawe, who earned a bachelor’s in human nutrition and entomology at MSU in May 2014.
“My experiences at MSU have given me a strong foundation in the sciences as well as helping me to gain language skill and introducing me to international experiences,” Rawe said.
She will collaborate with the Nepalese and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in the south Asian nation. Along the way she will be developing the additional leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns to the United States.