Petoskey News-Review, MI

NEWS: Local/Regional

Alanson native headed for Peace Corps

by ryan bentley news-review staff writer
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:39 PM EST

Having acquired a background in nonprofit management while in graduate
school at Indiana University, an Alanson native will get a chance to apply
it during an upcoming stint in the Peace Corps.

Jenny Zeisler, a 1998 Littlefield High School graduate, expects to leave for
Peace Corps service in Armenia on June 3. Following three months of language
and job training in that country, she’ll work for two years as an adviser
for one or more nongovernmental, or nonprofit, organizations. Zeisler will
assist with needs such as fund-raising, volunteer management, leadership and
program development.

“I believe working with the Peace Corps will not only give me the
opportunity to help a culture grow and sustain itself, but will also afford
me the privilege of learning about the world through the lens of a different
culture,” Zeisler said, adding that “I am dedicated to helping curb the
wealth disparity that is ever growing in our world.”

Early in her involvement in the federal Peace Corps agency, Zeisler expects
she’ll be living with host families. Later on, she’ll have a chance to
obtain her own apartment or continue living with a family.

She’ll be paid a living wage consistent with the local economy. The Peace
Corps will provide for her airfare to Armenia and any medical needs, and
will offer her a $6,000 stipend at the end of her service.

While in her teens, Zeisler served on the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area
Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee, which helps the endowment
make decisions on youth-related funding requests. She credits this
experience with boosting her interest in community service and philanthropy.

“In the YAC, I found a place where passion met concern, and my joy of living
was embraced,” Zeisler said. “I was able to serve my community, gained
valuable experience, made lifelong friends and found my calling in life. So
joining the Peace Corps seemed like a logical next step.”

In Peace Corps service, Zeisler senses the opportunity to learn about a new
culture through immersion, to apply past education and experience in a
real-life situation, and to expand on her skills.

By serving in a nation where economic resources are more limited than in
many others, Zeisler said she’ll likely get a new sense of what’s needed to
survive and what she can live without. She also expects to better understand
the “frustration and difficulty of being an outcast, not being able to
communicate fully – things immigrants in the United States go through
daily.”

Zeisler obtained a bachelor’s in professional communications from Old
Dominion University, with minors in sociology, philosophy and music. At
Indiana University, she completed a dual master’s program in public
administration – with an emphasis on nonprofit management – and in
philanthropic studies.

She currently lives in Norfolk, Va., with her father, Dennis. She’s working
for an arts festival on a seasonal basis.

Her mother, Kathleen Betts, now lives in Traverse City.

During her Peace Corps service, Zeisler hopes to correspond with teachers
and students in Littlefield.

After she completes her stint in Armenia, Zeisler said there are a variety
of paths she may consider taking: staying abroad and working for the foreign
service, moving to New York City, working for an arts or grantmaking
organization or teaching and doing research at the college level.

Ryan Bentley can be contacted at 439-9342, or rbentley@petoskeynews.com.

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