CSU alumnus among first Peace Corps volunteers to return to service overseas

Cleveland State University alum Jonah Magid is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was motivated to join the Peace Corps due to my drive to serve. In my senior year in university I decided I wanted to give back to the world and the United States in a meaningful way because of the great opportunities I was given,” said Magid. “Without financial aid and a scholarship, I would not have been able to attend college. When I learned about the Peace Corps I thought it would be an excellent way to pay it forward.”

Magid attended Cleveland State University in Cleveland where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in May 2019. He will serve as a volunteer in Peru in the health sector.

“The world is at a critical juncture. The largest global vaccination effort in history is underway while other widespread health, social, political, and environmental issues continue to erode the foundation of our global society. Actions taken in the next few years have the potential to fundamentally impact development trajectories for decades to come,” said Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn. “Peace Corps volunteers returning to Peru will work alongside community members to support urgent development efforts and build critical connections.”

The volunteer cohorts are made up of both first-time volunteers and volunteers who were evacuated in early 2020. Upon finishing a three-month training, volunteers will collaborate with their host communities on locally prioritized projects in one of Peace Corps’ six sectors – agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health or youth in development – and all will engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work.

On March 15, the Peace Corps welcomed the first volunteers to service in Zambia. The agency is recruiting volunteers to serve at 24 of the agency’s 60 posts, though all posts have enthusiastically requested the return of volunteers. The Peace Corps will continue to monitor COVID-19 trends in all of its host countries and send volunteers to serve as conditions permit.

Magid will work in cooperation with local community and partner organizations on sustainable development projects.