Grandma, others pursue Peace Corps dream

Natalie Montanaro refused to let age or life commitments get in the way of achieving her dream of joining the Peace Corps.

This fall, Montanaro, who recently turned 50, will head to Eastern Europe to teach English at a university.

She's one of 25 College of Charleston students and alumni who were honored at a "sending-off ceremony" at the college Thursday.

George Benson, the school's president, commended them for deciding to join the Peace Corps, because the organization "is making a difference in the world."

College officials said the school is known for producing Peace Corps volunteers, but this was a record-setting year. Since 1961, 133 graduates have joined the Peace Corps, more than any other higher education institution in South Carolina, they said.

Montanaro, a grandmother, earned her master's degree in education at the college in 2006. "I've always wanted to do this," she said. "So why not do it while I'm healthy?"

Natalie Mundy, 21 and a senior at the college, will leave in October to work in business development in sub-Saharan Africa.

It was her preferred destination, she said.

Mundy said she enrolled in a "semester at sea" program last year, where she studied aboard a cruise ship that traveled to 13 countries around the world, including Brazil, South Africa and India.

India, she said, was "the off-setter," the experience that inspired her to want to serve in the Peace Corps.

The extreme poverty moved her deeply, she said. When she left the country, she said to herself, "You absolutely have to do something when you get back."

College of Charleston geology professor Kem Fronabarger served in the Peace Corps from 1972 to 1974, conducting geological exploration for gold and diamonds in Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso.

These days, he offers advice to students considering whether to sign up.

He's not surprised that many college students are interested in the program. "There's a very strong idealist subculture in America," he said.

And for young people who go abroad with the Peace Corps, he said, "it's one of their crucibles, a life-changing event."

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.