Opinion: Happy 50th anniversary, Peace Corps!

Today, I think I echo thousands and thousands of people who can thank the Peace Corps for setting us on a path to a more interesting and fulfilling life. Back then, women could mostly be teachers or nurses or perhaps airline stewardesses if we wanted to see the world. In the Peace Corps, whatever happened after two years at our sites, we made happen, male or female; there were no limits. That was a very liberating concept for a young woman then, just as it is for anyone today.

Fifty years on, what has the Peace Corps accomplished? It’s possible to cite the pounds of fish sold or the pounds of honey produced under volunteer projects. But how do you measure the influence of an inspiring teacher? Or the effect on an impoverished teenage boy such as Alejandro Toledo, who, with volunteers’ help, goes on to college and becomes the president of Peru? But there is no difficulty measuring the impact of the Peace Corps on the United States. Half a century after Kennedy’s call, the Peace Corps’ greatest achievement may be the volunteers themselves.