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Creating Change
Mindy Bertram '16, first student to complete VWC's Peace Corps Prep Program, selected for service in Cameroon
By Stephanie Smaglo | December 11, 2015
“Even if the world is devastated, and you're devastated, if you're doing the best you can with what you have, then you're making the world a better place."
Virginia Wesleyan senior Mindy Bertram ’16 — whose wisdom, some may argue, far exceeds her 22 years — shared these sentiments at a special ceremony Nov. 17, where she was honored as the first student to complete the College’s Peace Corps Prep Program. In May 2016, she will travel to West Africa to begin her Peace Corps service as a science teacher in Cameroon.
"We should all celebrate the fine example of Mindy Bertram," remarked Timothy O’Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs & Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College. "Certainly on my watch there has not been a finer, more exemplary student in the classroom, in her character and in her service to the institution."
During her time at Virginia Wesleyan, Bertram has accumulated a lengthy list of accolades and accomplishments. In fall 2014, the international studies and biology major traveled to Jordan to research resource challenges and public health. Last spring, she received a Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award, recognizing her public involvement and motivation to create lasting change. She’s also been an active participant in the College’s community service efforts and Model UN team.
Bertram began the Peace Corps Prep Program (PCPP) in fall 2014 when it first launched at the College. The program is designed to create highly qualified students who wish to share their education, talents and skills with disadvantaged peoples in the developing world. It helps prepare students for service as Peace Corps Volunteers or for professional careers in service organizations and other international agencies.
The program exists as part of Virginia Wesleyan’s Innovative Teaching and Engaged Learning curriculum. It requires selected coursework in disciplines such as international studies, foreign language, education, biology, environmental studies, political science, history and other academic fields, along with a number of community service hours and/or study away experience.
The program was implemented by VWC professors and PCPP coordinators Clay Drees and Kathy Stolley in addition to PCPP committee members Bill Gibson (political science professor and former Peace Corps volunteer), Diane Hotaling (Community Service), Lena Johnson (Study Away), and LaShay Wyatt (Career Development).
Clay Drees, a history professor at VWC, is the president and founder of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hampton Roads, a regional education and outreach group dedicated to one of the primary goals of the Peace Corps—“bringing the world back home.” He served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1977-1979 in the small West African nation of Sierra Leone.
Students who successfully complete the Peace Corps Prep Program receive a Certificate of Completion from the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, DC. Mindy Bertram’s certificate is signed by Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, who will deliver the keynote address at Virginia Wesleyan College's 47th Commencement Ceremony on May 14, 2016.
For more information, visit the Peace Corps Prep Program webpage or contact PCPP coordinators Clay Drees (757.455.3402, cdrees@vwu.edu) or Kathy Stolley (757.233.8768, kstolley@vwu.edu).