Clare Reilly has been involved with Gulf Coast Diplomacy since 2020, first as a Youth Diplomat and then as a seasonal program officer with the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Her curiosity about the world expanded with each interaction with exchange participants via the IVLP, Open World, and the Youth Ambassadors program, leading her to pursue a degree in international studies at American University. Those interactions led to her further interest in serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. We asked her to share a reflection on her post-grad plans:
I have been conditionally accepted into the Peace Corps to teach English in Mongolia and help with community development. Our tentative departure date is [early summer 2026], and I will be working in Mongolia for 27 months, including the three months where I will be learning Mongolian.
The Peace Corps established its mission in Mongolia in 1991 in coordination with the Mongolian government. The mission of the Peace Corps while in Mongolia is to work with Mongolian counterpart teachers to help meet the specific needs and goals of the school we are assigned to and promote intercultural understanding between Americans and Mongolians. Outside of the classroom, I will work with youth and facilitate extracurricular activities such as clubs, camps, and mentoring programs to promote leadership and life skills.
My time as a co-facilitator with Camp Global strengthened my application and provided me with experience in facilitating clubs with groups of high-school age students. I am very excited to potentially use…Camp Global activities while teaching and facilitating outside the classroom. Overall, I am very excited for this experience!
– Clare Reilly
