Jess Smith
BSE ’09 in civil engineering, BA ’09 in art
Serving in Peru (2009–present)

The list of Jess Smith’s achievements over the past 18 months is impressive, but it is even more so coming from someone living in unfamiliar territory in a developing South American country.

Smith currently is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, and among her accomplishments are teaching classes on English, music, art, and yoga; starting a recycling program in three schools; digging an irrigation canal; installing sanitary stoves in 80 Peruvian kitchens and constructing 25 ecological bathrooms; participating in a local radio show to promote healthy lifestyles; and initiating in five villages a “Healthy Homes” campaign involving clean water, recycling, nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention, and germ reduction.

Although she says the work is fulfilling, the UI graduate says life in the Peace Corps has not been without challenges.

“Before I arrived here, I was captivated by the romance of traveling and helping the world,” says Smith, a Houston native who grew up in Iowa City. “In reality, I was leaving my fabulous life to live alone in a country where I knew no one, with a language I couldn’t speak, and without a clue of how to work with people and how to do projects. I think I survived because I am stubborn and determined.”

Through that effort, Smith has discovered a calling—a good thing, she notes, for a college student who was interested in “a million things,” including fields as varied as journalism, espionage, archaeology, and farming.

“Although I am still deciding what I want to do when I return home, I know for sure that it will include funding international Peace Corps projects and staying involved in development work,” she says. “I have also realized a passion for working with people in health via Healing Touch, yoga, art, and music. I’d also like to go back to school.”

Considering her upbringing, joining the Peace Corps was not a stretch for Smith. She and her identical twin sister learned from a young age the value of travel and outreach.

“When I was younger we would go on family vacations, and then each kid would go on a special trip with one of our parents,” explains Smith, who studied abroad in New Zealand, India, and Egypt. “We were fortunate to travel so much, and my parents used these opportunities to take us on mission trips or business trips, so it wasn’t just the typical site seeing. The trips were intended to go beyond just relaxing; they were stimulating.”