{"id":19686,"date":"2017-02-23T11:53:13","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T16:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/?p=19686"},"modified":"2017-04-11T11:11:55","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T15:11:55","slug":"serving-in-senegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2017\/02\/23\/serving-in-senegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving in Senegal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the hot sun begins to descend in Kedougou, Senegal, women leave their huts for a late afternoon stroll to the village well. The sound of swaying buckets and rushing water is heard as each woman waits her turn for the pump. In a sea of chatty girls, UMW alumna Maura Slocum listens carefully to their enunciations as she works to perfect the native language of Pulaar.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19691\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19691\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19691\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2017\/02\/23\/serving-in-senegal\/newrelease_maura\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1140,460\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"NewRelease_Maura\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Maura Slocum &amp;#8217;16 with some of her Senegalese family.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-300x121.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-1024x413.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19691\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-300x121.jpg\" alt=\"Maura Slocum\" width=\"300\" height=\"121\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-300x121.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-768x310.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura-1024x413.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/NewRelease_Maura.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19691\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maura Slocum &#8217;16 with some of her Senegalese family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Slocum is living in this rural West African country as a Peace Corps volunteer. Arriving in mid-December, she\u2019s still adjusting to the dramatic cultural shift from the familiar Fredericksburg campus where she graduated last May with a degree in environmental science.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s following a rich tradition of Mary Washington alumni. In fact, UMW was ranked No. 2 in the nation on the Peace Corps&#8217; 2017 list of\u00a0 top-producing small schools, with 13 alumni now serving the 27-month commitment in countries around the world. UMW has been listed among the top 20 since 2005, with a\u00a0total of 253 alumni\u00a0chosen to participate in the\u00a0volunteer global outreach program established by President John Kennedy in 1961.<\/p>\n<p>At home in her host family\u2019s compound, Slocum spends much of her time with her young siblings, Sadie, Maimudu and Abdoulaiye, who love introducing her to new places. Ranging in ages 3 to 9, they aren\u2019t the youngest of the bunch. Not long after she arrived, her young host mother gave birth to twins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy family and neighbors were very welcoming,\u201d Slocum said. \u201cThey even got me to dance in the drum circle at the (babies\u2019) naming ceremonies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When she\u2019s not practicing Pulaar or spending time with her host siblings, Slocum tends to her personal compost and tree nursery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI arrived to the village at the end of the harvest season, so there is not a lot of agriculture work right now,\u201d Slocum said. \u201cThe main focus right now is garden preparation, since the farming season will not begin until the rains come in March or April.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As an agroforestry volunteer, she aims to help bolster food security and sustainability by integrating trees into agriculture.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19690\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19690\" style=\"width: 215px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19690\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2017\/02\/23\/serving-in-senegal\/pc3cropped\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2032,2832\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-G900P&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1483961601&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.8&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00833333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"pc3cropped\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Maura Slocum &amp;#8217;16 with  her Peace Corps siblings.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-215x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-735x1024.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19690\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-215x300.jpg\" alt=\"Maura Slocum '16\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-215x300.jpg 215w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-768x1070.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-735x1024.jpg 735w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped-818x1140.jpg 818w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/02\/pc3cropped.jpg 2032w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19690\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Slocum poses with her Peace Corps siblings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Just under a year ago, Slocum beamed with excitement over<br \/>\nher acceptance into the Peace Corps as she stood with a UMW environmental sciences team in the polluted water of Contrary Creek in Louisa County. A senior at the time, Slocum researched soil contamination and worked to improve it, a skill that will serve her well in helping the villagers of Kedougou..<\/p>\n<p>Preparation was key for Slocum in December of 2016, when she arrived in the village with a population of 250.<\/p>\n<p>Melanie Szulczewski, Slocum\u2019s advisor and former agroforestry volunteer for the Peace Corps, encouraged her to apply to the Peace Corps and offered her support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI talked with Maura extensively about the application process,\u201d said Szulczewski, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences. \u201cShe could clearly outline her goals and was well prepared with abundant volunteer experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Slocum has been preparing for her Peace Corps service since high school. On a mission\u2019s trip to Guatemala she discovered her passion to serve, and when it came time to choose a university, she had her eyes on the prize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe University of Mary Washington was fundamental in my journey to the Peace Corps,\u201d Slocum said. \u201cI actually chose UMW over James Madison University because I read that UMW had such a high number of alumni who go on to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a team of friends, family and professors to support and advise her, Slocum seamlessly transitioned from a UMW student to a Peace Corps volunteer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe Maura will truly embody the goals of the Peace Corps,\u201d said Szulczewski. \u201cShe will be helping others while growing as a global citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UMW alum follows Peace Corps tradition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":19691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,81],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show","8":"category-umw-home","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - 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