Joy Campbell (she/her) just began her 23rd year at MSU. She currently serves as MSU’s Fulbright Program Advisor and also oversees Peace Corps programming on campus. In her Fulbright role, she works with domestic students and faculty who hope to pursue prestigious Fulbright awards abroad. For the Peace Corps, Campbell coordinates the Peace Corps Prep undergraduate certificate program and supervises the campus Peace Corps Recruitment Office. Prior to coming to MSU, Campbell lived and worked in France and served in the Peace Corps in Morocco.
Sustainable cropping systems in Chile. The impact of ticks on Javan rhinoceroses in Indonesia. Creating improv clubs for students in Rwanda. Zirconium-involved nuclear reactions in Norway. I know next to nothing about these topics. What I do know, I’ve learned from some amazing Spartan students whom I’ve advised during the Fulbright application process.
Every time an aspiring applicant stops by my office or pops into my Zoom room, I meet someone who — by their very desire to apply for a Fulbright — is curious, globally-minded and wanting to build “lasting connections for a more peaceful world,” as Fulbright phrases it.
It's the same with folks interested in the Peace Corps. Whether they are a first-year student who just learned about our undergraduate Peace Corps Prep program, or a soon-to-be graduate interested in international service, these students have a desire to make a difference in a host country where their skill set can help others. Their skills and areas of interest are diverse. From environmental studies and sustainability to teaching English to global public health and epidemiology, Spartans are dedicated to serving in countless ways. Ten applicants in our most recent cohort were offered Fulbright U.S. student awards for 2024-25, and several are already in their host countries of Taiwan, Switzerland, Rwanda, Spain, Cambodia and more.
The same connections — from over 20 years of international education advocacy — that help me in my Fulbright advising also help in our campus Peace Corps programming, as do my ties to the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer community in mid-Michigan. When MSU signed a memorandum of understanding with the Peace Corps to create a Peace Corps Prep undergraduate certificate program, I felt like my career had truly come full circle. The program was launched in 2021, and students who were part of that first cohort are now graduating and applying to serve the global community in places where they are needed most.
To date, MSU has had 14 students receive the Peace Corps Prep certificate. We have Spartans currently serving in the Peace Corps in about 15 countries, and even more invited to serve and working through the clearance process. In fact, MSU is the sixth highest-producing institution for Peace Corps volunteers in the agency’s history.
Person-to-person connections can help make the world a better place; I like to think the small role I play in helping Spartans go abroad has a ripple effect as they make global connections of their own. Each friendship with a new neighbor, academic connection with a student, achievement with a language tutor and relationship with a counterpart builds bridges across cultures, positively impacting both our cultural ambassador Spartans and those they encounter for years to come.
This story originally appeared on the International Studies and Programs website.