Peace and purpose

Will Mahan ’23 spent most of his time at Clark trying new things, from taking on various roles in Clark theatre productions to joining the swim team as a senior. Now, he’s on a new adventure, this time as member of the Peace Corps, working and living in Welou, a small town in northeastern Togo.

“I knew I didn’t just want to travel” after graduation, says Mahan, who joined the Peace Corps and moved to Africa in 2023. “I really wanted to situate myself in a dramatically different place. It’s been difficult but so rewarding.”

Throughout his time in Togo, Mahan has worked on projects including teaching art classes at the local school, building a water pump, and organizing a marathon and Christmas party for local children. He has been living with a local family, and the experience abroad is a dramatic lifestyle change.

“I wanted to have a broader understanding of the world,” Mahan says. “This is it.”

Mahan is collaborating with Welou leaders, including Hubert Alou, a restaurant owner and businessman, Akassibou Amana, a school volunteer, and Kao Badoki-Ani, the director of the local school. He says that he would not have been able to complete any projects without their help and describes a “fierce integration” with local culture and people that the three have facilitated. Badoki-Ani specifically, Mahan says, has been a driving force behind the water pump building project.

“One of the first things that Badoki-Ani asked me about was the water pump,” Mahan says. Local leaders, Mahan says, were very cognizant of the impact that the water pump and increased access to clean water could have on the children of the town.

Mahan’s art classes are one of the most fulfilling parts of his time in the Peace Corps.

“I find my purpose in seeing how happy the kids are when I come to the school,” he says. “We’ve done a lot of work with paper plates, making paper plate fish and hyenas, and letting the kids paint and draw. Seeing how engaged the kids are has been really meaningful.”

One of Mahan’s students won the NASA Space Place Art Challenge in October 2024 — further evidence of his impact on the community.

Mahan has also had the opportunity to host events alongside Alou at his restaurant.

“You have to be willing to lean on other people, including people from the community,” Mahan says. “Everything I did at Clark helped me gain more confidence in myself, and that’s part of what prepared me for the Peace Corps.”

Mahan was a staff member at the African Cultural Education Center (ACE) while majoring in business management and says the experience helped spark his interest in Peace Corps. His advice to Clarkies who may be interested in joining the organization is to just go for it.

“It’s going to be hard,” Mahan says. “There are going to be times when you want to go home.

There are also going to be really rewarding moments where you have big victories. The Peace Corps is a path to connect with people who you otherwise would never cross paths with.”

This spring, Clark is introducing a new Peace Corps Prep Program open to all undergraduate students, aims to prepare participants for the Peace Corps or other global service opportunities. This certificate program is a collaboration between U.S. Peace Corps, the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice, and the Department of Language, Literature, and Culture.

Peace Corps Prep coordinator Morgan Ruelle, an associate professor in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice, who served in the Peace Corps in Armenia, emphasizes the value of cross-cultural exchange.

“The program is meant to make students think about how language skills, intercultural competencies, training and experience in a sector, and professional development prepare them for international service,” Ruelle says. “I think we can make global service organizations a lot better by sending Clark graduates who have really thought through some of the challenges of service with organizations like the Peace Corps.”

Peace Corps Prep assistant Marissa Kelemen, M.A. ’25, who is earning her master’s degree in international development from Clark as a Coverdell Fellow, served in the Peace Corps in northwestern Zambia, helping to teach English and renovate local teacher housing.

“I loved my service,” says Kelemen, who aspired to join the Peace Corps after learning about it in middle school. “I think most volunteers will say it’s the ‘toughest job you’ll ever love,’ but it taught me so much about working within different cultural contexts, which I think is so important.”

A launch event for the Peace Corps Prep Program will be held on Feb. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Dana Commons Fireside Lounge. All Clark faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend. Questions can be directed to Marissa Kelemen and Morgan Ruelle.