Santa Barbara Resident Begins Peace Corps Service in Mozambique

Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique (courtesy photo)

Source: Peace Corps

Emma Redick of Santa Barbara has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Mozambique on August 28, 2019, to begin training as an education volunteer. Redick will serve as a high school English teacher.
 
“After graduating from college I wanted to study abroad but could not afford the overseas tuition. I was determined to find another way to pursue my two greatest passions: travel and education. I called a Peace Corps recruiter, and after about an hour of conversation, discovered that it was the perfect marriage of my passions. That same day I read everything on the Peace Corps website and began preparing my application,” said Redick.

Redick is the daughter of Megan Pritchard and Kevin Redick and a graduate of Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta. She attended University of California at Davis (UC Davis), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations, peace and international security with a minor in the politics of Africa and the Middle East. 

Prior to joining the Peace Corps, she worked as a substitute teacher at Crane Country Day School and Laguna Blanca School, where she also acted as the high school girls’ assistant soccer coach. She was also involved in a variety of activities at UC Davis; she was editor-in-chief for an on-campus magazine, cofounder of the student-led Rally Against Rape Culture, and public events staff for the Athletics Department. 
 
During the first three months of her service, Redick will live with a host family in Mozambique to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, Redick will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Mozambique, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.

“One of my primary goals is to emerge from this experience fluent in Portuguese. My biggest professional and personal goals for my time in Mozambique are to establish personal connections and learn something new every single day,” Redick said.

Redick will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Mozambique and help Redick develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
 
Redick joins the 836 California residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 31,723 California residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. The Peace Corps currently has a high need for applicants to fill volunteer programs departing by June 2020. Interested Americans can apply online by October 1 for hundreds of available openings in nearly 30 countries worldwide. Volunteers receive a living stipend, extensive language and technical training, and financial benefits including student loan deferment and graduate school fellowships after service. To learn more about how to get involved with Peace Corps and the benefits of service, connect with a recruiter online or register to attend an event. 

About volunteers in Mozambique: There are more than 195 volunteers in Mozambique working with their communities on projects in education and health. During their service in Mozambique, volunteers learn to speak local languages, including Portuguese, Cichangana, Citswa, Citewe, Nhungue, Emakwa, Chichewa, Echuabo and Yaho. More than 1,345 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Mozambique since the program was established in 1998.

About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today’s global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.