An Interact and Rotary Scholarship Student Success Story

Mike Schwert received an email from Emily Andre, first Interact Co-President and Rotary Scholarship recipient. She has completed her degree at American University and has almost completed a Peace Corp assignment in 5 years. We can all be proud of her and what she has done with a little help from us. Click on "Read More" to read her email and see pictures from her Peace Corps work.

I hope this email finds you in peace and good health. I know it's been awhile since we've communicated, but I just wanted to drop in and say hello! I hope the Antioch Rotary chapter and the D117 Interact Club are doing well.

I am on month 21 of my 27 month service as a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Senegal, West Africa. I live with a Senegalese host family and primarily work with women's gardening groups and rural farmers. I also have worked with our local Koranic School to develop a school garden--one of my favorite projects over the past year and a half. Life in Senegal is much slower paced than my undergraduate years in DC, and while living here has definitely had it's difficult moments, I've loved my time with the Peace Corps. I'm unsure who I'll speak Wolof to when I return home this November, but I'm excited to see my family in IL again soon.

I'm not quite sure what I'll be up to yet when I'm back, but I'd like to look at jobs that focus on food systems/food justice, public service, and international relations. Most of my connections are in DC, so there's a strong possibility I'd move back there-- but who knows what the future will hold.

I've included some photos of my life over the past 2 years or so, please feel free to pass them along to the Rotary scholarship committee!

All the Best, Emily Andre

Recently, I've been working on a mural painting/tree planting tourney to surrounding villages. We talked about how to transform tree leaves into leaf powder that can be added into normal meals to make them vitamin-rich.

I co-directed last year's 3-Day Girls Leadership Camp. It involved middle school aged girls, their fathers/uncles/brothers, and other volunteers in the region.

The Koranic School Director with some students in the garden we started last rainy season.

The girls club in my village filling tree sacks for our tree nursery.

The child of a family I am neighbors with named their daughter after me. My Senegalese name is "Arame"....and that's this little one's name too!