ALUMNI PROFILE
Bridging Two Worlds
Alum Finds Rewards as Peace Corps Volunteer
By Judith E. Marr
The sophisticated, fast-paced, concrete world of New York City's financial district and rural village life in Monte Plata, Dominican Republic, are worlds apart.
Broad School graduate Ryan H. Andersen, BA '96, has lived in both worlds during his short career. In July 2000, he moved from New York to Monte Plata, Dominican Republic, where he was assigned as a volunteer with the Peace Corps Community Economic Development sector. After graduation from the Broad School, Andersen worked several months for Nantucket Bank on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, before landing his next job as an analyst with Capital Markets Assurance Corporation (CapMAC) in midtown Manhattan.
He had always considered volunteering for the Peace Corps, so he decided to move forward with those plans. The timing was right, and he signed up for a two-year stint. "I thought it would be great if I could share some business knowledge that I have picked up with others," he comments. He also liked the challenge.
From "the city that never sleeps"--its lights ablaze 24 hours every day--he now copes for days with no electricity at all. Cabbies' horns, sirens, and the motorized hum of the megalopolis are replaced with ever-present merengue melodies from radios at top sound, and 24 hours of rooster calls across his hilltop village.
"I definitely appreciate the small things even more, like when the water comes on after a couple of days or when the lights come back on and the whole neighborhood cheers," Andersen writes from Monte Plata.
In Monte Plata, Andersen provides assistance and advice to micro-businesses and entrepreneurs, teaching basic business skills to women's groups, youth, and farmers. He instructs them in budgeting, marketing, accounting, and conducting feasibility studies.
A major goal has been to develop a local meat, fruit, and vegetable market that would enable village farmers to sell their products directly to customers, bypassing the profit-draining expenses of middlemen. He obtained a U.S. Agency for International Development grant so that he and his Monte Plata partners could do this. The Mercado Agro-organico y Alternativo Mama Tingo opened in November 2001. "It has involved community organization, education, and construction," Andersen reports. He has learned to work with villagers' own sense of time and urgency to accomplish the project.
The rewards of his Peace Corps work so far, says Andersen, are simple things, "like visiting with my young friends in town or seeing other PC volunteers in the office or visiting their sites."
"I think people really appreciate the fact that I am living here basically alone without my friends and family in such a different culture."
Indeed, the village computer lab operator marvels that "he has given up so much to help them."
"You really have to be hearty, determined, and have a good sense of humor," he says of Peace Corps work. "The skills you gain are mostly intangible--like speaking in front of 40 people in a second language you have just learned, or navigating public transportation in a third-world country that is hot, dirty, and crowded."
"Things are much more basic here. I think it is best to come with a couple of years in the field first. The skills you learn and take away are applicable to any career and will complement technical experiences already acquired."
Andersen has found that much of his MSU experience has helped him with Peace Corps service.
"While at Michigan State, I was able to interact with a variety of people with different backgrounds and it really opened my mind to different ideas," he says. "By navigating such a large student body and campus I think I gained a lot of confidence and really came to value my independence."
"I have found, especially in the business world," he observes, "that having a broad range of experiences to draw on often yields the greatest rewards in your life and career. It's having that unique perspective that distinguishes you from the masses." He's found simple human rewards in his work in the Dominican Republic, too.
"I appreciate the opportunities I have had here and that people have allowed me to enter their lives," he says. "Whenever I have a meeting, the people are always so happy to see me and seem truly concerned about my well-being. After every class they express their gratitude to me for spending my time with them."
"I hope that hearing of my experiences will be beneficial to other business students and graduates."