Now an agribusiness coordinator in Uganda with the Peace Corps, Penn State alumna Katie Fiorillo says her experiences abroad are making her a better global and American citizen.

After hearing a DDAR internship presentation about the SEGA Girls School, a program for bright young women with limited access to quality education in Tanzania, Katie took a volunteer position at the school and moved to Tanzania. She spent seven months using her education in fundraising and communications to support the school. A 2016 graduate of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Katie is now serving a two-year term as an agribusiness coordinator with the Peace Corps in Uganda.

What attracted you to the Peace Corps?

It combines international development work with a cultural exchange and focuses intensely on relationships with your host community. As a recent grad committed to work in international development, I want to understand the complex dynamics in the communities that development and foreign aid work within.

Why do you think it’s important to support global opportunities for Penn State students?

My international experiences have not only made me a better student of the world, but also a better global and American citizen. I have learned more about myself than I ever imagined.

What has left the biggest impression on you during your time in Uganda thus far?

The people. I have appreciated getting to know my neighbors and community members as individuals and as friends. I already know that I will learn more here from them than I will ever be able to teach, and I am an eager student.