As part of our ‘Building Bridges’ Women’s History Month series, we’re thrilled to spotlight the impactful endeavors of women in the Peace Corps. Join us today as we delve into the journey of Camden Thorngate, currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia. Her story exemplifies the dedication of women within the Peace Corps community, striving to empower and uplift communities globally.
- Introduction:
- Motivation and Inspiration:
- Service Experience:
- Empowerment and Impact:
- Cultural Exchange:
- Personal Growth:
- Advice for Aspiring Volunteers:
- Legacy and Impact:
Introduction:
Can you please introduce yourself, where you are serving, and share a bit about your background?
My name is Camden Thorngate and I am serving as a TEFL volunteer in Armenia! I graduated from Fordham University in 2021 and worked as a political consultant in Seattle for 2 years after that, but my dream was always to join the Peace Corps.
Motivation and Inspiration:
What inspired you to become a Peace Corps volunteer? Were there specific women who influenced or inspired your decision to join the Peace Corps?
I have wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer since I was 12 years old. Some RPCVs who attended my church came to our Junior High youth group and spoke about their service and I knew then that that’s what I wanted to do with my life. One of these RPCVs was an incredible woman who served in Nepal when she was 65 years old. Growing up, I also idolized Malala Yousafzi. As a young woman, her dedication to girl’s education was inspiring to me and greatly motivated me to pursue being a TEFL volunteer specifically.
Service Experience:
Can you describe your service experience and the type of projects you are working on? How has your gender impacted your service experience in the community?
My assignment is at a basic school where I teach English to 3rd graders through 8th graders. Alongside my normal teaching schedule, I run two clubs: a beginners and an advanced English club. Right now in my advanced club, I am really excited to be working on a project with them where they are exchanging pen pal videos with students from my old middle school in America. This past summer, I ran a month-long English music club, which was really an excuse for me to force my students to watch Taylor Swift music videos.
Empowerment and Impact:
How do you believe your presence as a woman has positively impacted the community?
I think that it is really important for girls in Armenia to meet a woman like me who has moved across the world without her family to pursue her career. It shows that women can build lives for themselves outside of the traditional path if they so choose. It’s also important for me to encourage girls to travel and expand their horizons beyond their small community.
During Pre-Service training, my fellow trainees and I enjoyed playing soccer with some local boys. I’m not exceptionally good at soccer but I am incredibly competitive so I pulled no punches during our matches. I remember hearing one of the boys tell his friend “that girl can actually play really well!” Hopefully, seeing me enthusiastically participate in sports helped to shift some of those boys’ ideas of what girls are capable of.
Cultural Exchange:
How do you navigate cultural differences and gender dynamics during your service?
As a woman in the Peace Corps, there are additional cultural expectations that you have to deal with. I think that this is true across almost all host countries. In my experience, it has manifested in different ways. One is that I have noticed that the women in my cohort are expected to participate more in household chores than the men. I’m always happy to help out, but the expectations of this were something I had to adjust to. Another is that, as a woman in my early 20’s, I am frequently asked when I will marry and have children. I’m sure men in Peace Corps get these questions too, but it’s much more common to be asked this as a woman. I am also a runner and have had to get used to being one of the only women that I have seen in my community running outside.
To navigate all of these cultural differences, I try my best to implement the bridge model of cultural exchange which involves meeting in the middle. I work hard to be open to learning about the culture here and to abide by strongly held cultural norms. But I don’t sacrifice any of my core values in the process, and even try to share my own culture with others.
Personal Growth:
In what ways do you think your Peace Corps service is contributing to your personal and professional growth?
Personally, I think I have grown tremendously. My capacity for emotional regulation in stressful situations has expanded greatly. I have always been an independent person, but working to build a new life halfway across the world has only made me stronger and more self-assured. All this change has also forced me to become more self-disciplined in taking care of my physical and mental health.
Professionally, gaining this international experience will be incredibly valuable in the future. I know that post-Peace Corps, I will never struggle to answer a job interview question about overcoming challenges or adjusting to new environments again. My experience serving so far has also helped me to narrow down my desired career path.
Advice for Aspiring Volunteers:
What advice would you give to other women considering joining the Peace Corps?
My advice is to completely turn yourself over to the experience. Let your service unfold and accept it for what it is. For women especially, we have a tendency to second-guess ourselves and our skills. You might not think that you have the right experience or aren’t cut out for it, but you are. Don’t try and compare your service to others, because it will be uniquely yours. Before serving, I would also suggest making a list of intrinsic goals you want to achieve that you can focus on when things get hard.
Check out Camden’s blog here to follow her two-year journey as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer in Armenia with the Peace Corps. This blog offers a valuable perspective and structured updates.
Legacy and Impact:
Reflecting on your time in the Peace Corps so far, what do you hope your legacy will be in the community?
I hope that my students and the people I interact with in my community remember me as someone who worked hard to share myself with them. Ideally, I would love for all my students to speak fluent English one day, but even if they just are able to think back to the fun times they had in English class, then I will be happy. As I’m entering my second year of service soon, I have some ideas for projects I want to implement that will hopefully outlast me.
To help celebrate Women’s History Month, read more amazing stories from just a few of the Women in the Peace Corps in our series “Building Bridges.” You will hear from women who are ‘Returned Peace Corps volunteers, but also women who are currently serving. You can find more here!
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Armenian government..
