Scott Pietan '95
Peace Corps volunteer
LIKE MOST CORPS VOLUNTEERS, Scott Pietan '95 had a rapacious desire to travel. After spending a few months kayaking out west, he went off to Colombia to teach math at a girls school in Bogotá. Surrounded by Americans and elite Colombians, Pietan grew eager for a more authentic Latin American experience. He had heard great stories about the Peace Corps from his friend, Logan Brown. After completing the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs in St. Louis, an organization that trains for community-based leadership development, he signed up for the Corps and was sent to Belize.
You have to have at least two years of experience to do real international work. My time in Belize will definitely come in handy. Scott Pietan '95
Peace Corps volunteer
Assigned to a Mayan village of about 300 people, Pietan met with local leaders to help orchestrate reforestation and other aesthetic improvements to the community. Pietan, living close to the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve, taught classes on wildlife and environmental consciousness in the local school.
What was particularly refreshing about Pietan's assignment, he says, was that no Peace Corps volunteer had been in that area before him. That meant there were no expectations to limit him, and he was free to tackle things the way he felt best. What was frustrating, however, was his own expectation to see immediate change. He soon learned that his efforts were part of an extended project, and that his labors yielded the most social value when geared toward long-term sustainability. And, as Pietan noted, that's the way community development works. "I could see the unsuccessful projects that other people had started before. I learned a lot about development by seeing what doesn't work and why," he said.
Now an M.A. candidate in international economics and conflict management at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Pietan is putting that experiential knowledge to good use. And his tenure in Belize should continue to serve him well in his field. "You have to have at least two years of experience if you hope to do real international work," he said. "My time in Belize will definitely come in handy."
Update - As of 2004, Scott Pietan '95 is an international economist with the US Department of Commerce; he earned an MA at the Johns Hopkins University in 2002.
