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Nicolas Tanner '07 (second from right) |
7/1/08 News Release: International Affairs alumnus joins the Peace Corps in the Kyrgyz Republic
Nicolas Charles Tanner, 24, of Manchester, Mass., has been accepted into the Peace Corps.
Tanner will be departing for the Kyrgyz Republic on July 3 to begin pre-service training as an English-as-a-foreign-language (TEFL) Peace Corps Volunteer. Upon graduation from Volunteer training in October, Tanner will be teaching English at a secondary level to students in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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Tanner is the son of UNH alumni Gloria Tanner and Brad Tanner, and a graduate of Manchester Essex Regional High School in Manchester, Mass. He then attended the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Spanish, graduating in 2007. Tanner previously worked at orphanages in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru in 2002-03.
“My brain is not wired to accept a desk job. I tried but could not concentrate. The benefits, tangible and intangible, of serving with the Peace Corps are endless,” said Tanner. “When I was 18, I met a man in Cochabamba, Bolivia who was serving in the Peace Corps. He inspired me to check it out. Now here I am.”
During the first three months of his service, Tanner will live with a host family in the Kyrgyz Republic to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist his community, Tanner will serve for two years in the Kyrgyz Republic, living in a manner similar to people in his host country.
Tanner joins the 232 Massachusetts residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 7,359 Massachusetts residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
The Peace Corps opened its program in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993, two years after the Central Asian Republic gained its independence from the Soviet Union. To date, over 709 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in the Kyrgyz Republic in the areas of English education, sustainable economic and community development, and health education. Currently there are 134 Volunteers hosted in the country.
The Peace Corps is celebrating a 47-year legacy of service at home and abroad. Currently, there are 8,000 Volunteers abroad, a 37-year high for Volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 190,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment. To learn more about the Peace Corps, please visit: www.peacecorps.gov.