What is the Worldwise School Program?
This is a correspondence program where I will share with Mr. Tyne's classrooms information about the history, culture, sociology, etc. of Albania. As well, I will share information about Eastern Europe in general, Peace Corps, and any other topics or questions that are posed to me.
Who am I?
Casey Loving. I am 23. I grew up on a farm Northwest of Streator, attended Streator High School, and graduated in 2006. I went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated early in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning and a minor in Gender and Women's Studies.
While at university I began an unpaid internship at the Champaign Downtown Association (CDA), this position evolved to me being the sole employee as Staff Director and hiring other unpaid interns. The focus of this organization was to improve and market Downtown Champaign. While working for the CDA, I started social media marketing for a downtown nonprofit art gallery. My decision to complete school early was due to the opportunity to take over operations of the gallery. I became the Gallery Director of Indi Go Artist Co-Op in January 2010. In 2010 we had 34 art exhibits and 19 additional events. Check it out on Facebook for lots of photos.
I applied for Peace Corps while I was still a junior in college. For a full story on the application check out this past blog entry. In short terms I received a placement in March 2010, and officially chosen for a country in December 2010. I arrived in Albania in March 2011.
What got me here?
Drive, passion, anxiousness to do something more with my life, desire to travel and see the world- to get out of Streator. But what actual steps? In retrospect I can easily say that the organizations I was involved with in high school and before led the ground work for my interest for more to life and also a passion for volunteering and improving the lives of others. Specifically, I was involved with 4-H for 10 years which required planning, organizing, and creating something. Also, Key Club was heavily influential. We had a crazy busy club that was exciting and entertaining because we were all so dedicated to improving the community and worked together to find innovative methods for such.
How these particular instances were effective were that they made larger ideas possible. Due to my involvement I was able to accomplish big dreams such as creating the Mr. Bulldog contest, a Whose Line is it Anyway comedy show night at Engle Lane, Spag for Spas, etc. It is empowering to come up with concepts and to have a possibility to see them come to furition through partnerships with my peers and without community organizations. And 4-H taught me to create in the manner that if I wished to compete, I need to be systematic and organized about accomplishing my personal goals.
Service clubs led the ground work. Working as a volunteer intern opened opportunities for me to show that I have the ability to perform and therefore led to an amazing job opportunity with the gallery. So Peace Corps, is just a probable step on the journey. If you were to ask how can I better myself, do interesting things, and be accomplished; I would obviously tell you to volunteer.
Where are you volunteering?
I am a Community Organization and Development Facilitator in Ksamil, Albania. Albania is located North of Greece and across the sea from Italy. Ksamil is located in the most southern tip of Albania. From my living room I can see the crystal clear blue Ionian sea and the Greek island of Corfu.
Details of Peace Corps in general can best be answered by perusing the website. http://www.peacecorps.gov
I will cover my experiences further, but if you are interested in how you could join this is the best place. In the future I can answer direct questions. Some of the topics that will be covered in the upcoming blog articles and mailings to Mr. Tyne will be about: international travel, eastern european mentality, everyday life, traditional food, maps, walking videos, ancient history of the area, communist and post communist history, perceptions of Americans living abroad, Peace Corps service in general, and my work to improve Ksamil.
Happy reading, hope that you find this entertaining and enlightening!
Best,
Casey
This is a correspondence program where I will share with Mr. Tyne's classrooms information about the history, culture, sociology, etc. of Albania. As well, I will share information about Eastern Europe in general, Peace Corps, and any other topics or questions that are posed to me.
Casey Loving. I am 23. I grew up on a farm Northwest of Streator, attended Streator High School, and graduated in 2006. I went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and graduated early in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning and a minor in Gender and Women's Studies.
While at university I began an unpaid internship at the Champaign Downtown Association (CDA), this position evolved to me being the sole employee as Staff Director and hiring other unpaid interns. The focus of this organization was to improve and market Downtown Champaign. While working for the CDA, I started social media marketing for a downtown nonprofit art gallery. My decision to complete school early was due to the opportunity to take over operations of the gallery. I became the Gallery Director of Indi Go Artist Co-Op in January 2010. In 2010 we had 34 art exhibits and 19 additional events. Check it out on Facebook for lots of photos.
I applied for Peace Corps while I was still a junior in college. For a full story on the application check out this past blog entry. In short terms I received a placement in March 2010, and officially chosen for a country in December 2010. I arrived in Albania in March 2011.
What got me here?
Drive, passion, anxiousness to do something more with my life, desire to travel and see the world- to get out of Streator. But what actual steps? In retrospect I can easily say that the organizations I was involved with in high school and before led the ground work for my interest for more to life and also a passion for volunteering and improving the lives of others. Specifically, I was involved with 4-H for 10 years which required planning, organizing, and creating something. Also, Key Club was heavily influential. We had a crazy busy club that was exciting and entertaining because we were all so dedicated to improving the community and worked together to find innovative methods for such.
How these particular instances were effective were that they made larger ideas possible. Due to my involvement I was able to accomplish big dreams such as creating the Mr. Bulldog contest, a Whose Line is it Anyway comedy show night at Engle Lane, Spag for Spas, etc. It is empowering to come up with concepts and to have a possibility to see them come to furition through partnerships with my peers and without community organizations. And 4-H taught me to create in the manner that if I wished to compete, I need to be systematic and organized about accomplishing my personal goals.
Service clubs led the ground work. Working as a volunteer intern opened opportunities for me to show that I have the ability to perform and therefore led to an amazing job opportunity with the gallery. So Peace Corps, is just a probable step on the journey. If you were to ask how can I better myself, do interesting things, and be accomplished; I would obviously tell you to volunteer.
Where are you volunteering?
I am a Community Organization and Development Facilitator in Ksamil, Albania. Albania is located North of Greece and across the sea from Italy. Ksamil is located in the most southern tip of Albania. From my living room I can see the crystal clear blue Ionian sea and the Greek island of Corfu.
Details of Peace Corps in general can best be answered by perusing the website. http://www.peacecorps.gov
I will cover my experiences further, but if you are interested in how you could join this is the best place. In the future I can answer direct questions. Some of the topics that will be covered in the upcoming blog articles and mailings to Mr. Tyne will be about: international travel, eastern european mentality, everyday life, traditional food, maps, walking videos, ancient history of the area, communist and post communist history, perceptions of Americans living abroad, Peace Corps service in general, and my work to improve Ksamil.
Happy reading, hope that you find this entertaining and enlightening!
Best,
Casey
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