University of Alaska Southeast Graduate Begins Peace Corps Service in the Eastern Caribbean
Alannah Johnson of Juneau has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for the Eastern Caribbean on July 1, 2019, to begin training as an education volunteer.
Date of Press Release: August 1, 2019
Alannah Johnson of Juneau has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for the Eastern Caribbean on July 1, 2019, to begin training as an education volunteer.
“I am inspired by the stories of other volunteers, which motivate me to want to teach other people how they can help themselves. I also enjoy learning new languages, meeting new people, and learning about their ways of living,” said Johnson of her desire to join the Peace Corps.
Johnson is the daughter of Alethea and Calvin Johnson of Southern California, and a graduate of Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, Calif. She attended University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in Juneau, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, she was involved in a wide range of volunteer and paid activities. She was an environmental researcher and peer advisor at UAS, an engineering intern for the U.S. Forest Service, a science journalist for the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, a glacier guide for Temsco Helicopters, a trail crew leader for the Student Conservation Association, and an environmental education instructor for the Orange County Department of Education in California.
During the first three months of her service, Johnson will live with a host family in the Eastern Caribbean to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, Johnson will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in the Eastern Caribbean, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.
“I am hoping to help children improve their literacy skills, and also connect with the natural world. I am also eager to learn about my community and its needs,” Johnson said. “Although I consider myself a teacher, I am also always a student wherever my travels take me.”
Johnson will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in the Eastern Caribbean and help Johnson develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
Johnson joins the 27 Alaska residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 1,052 Alaska residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
About volunteers in the Eastern Caribbean
There are more than 90 volunteers in the Eastern Caribbean working with their communities on projects in education. During their service in the Eastern Caribbean, volunteers learn to speak local languages, including Vincentian/Grenadian dialect and French Creole, also known as Kweyol. More than 4,055 Peace Corps volunteers have served in the Eastern Caribbean since the program was established in 1961.
About the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, the environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 235,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.