Since its founding, Wittenberg University has fostered in its students a desire to advance the common good as local citizens and as members of the global community. The University's Peace Corps-endorsed preparation program, one of only a select few such programs in the country, is one example of how Wittenberg has continued to achieve that goal.

For a school of its size, Wittenberg has historically sent a high number of graduates to the Peace Corps, and this year is no exception, as three members of the class of 2026, Emmalee Do, Jack Miller, and Lexie Minard, have been chosen to serve abroad.

Scott Rosenberg, professor of history and chair of Wittenberg's Peace Corps Preparation program, worked meticulously to create Wittenberg's program because, in his words, "it reflects both the school's value as well as the kind of student that attends Wittenberg." His two years of Peace Corps service in the southern African Kingdom of Lesotho from 1989-91 has continued to inspire hundreds of Wittenberg students to travel there with him during special summer sessions.

All three of the students selected for service in the Peace Corps this year previously participated in the Lesotho service-learning trip with Rosenberg in summer 2024 and fell in love with serving. Each of them knew they had to find a way to continue the work.

Do, from Lancaster, Ohio, and a graduate of Lancaster High School, has been assigned to serve in the Kyrgyz Republic (often known as Kyrgyzstan) in the Middle East. She is an education major pursuing a dual licensure with P-5 education and K-12 intervention specialist with a minor in African & Diaspora Studies. Heavily involved with the Lesotho Nutrition Initiative (LNI) during her time at Wittenberg, she currently serves as the organization’s president and is also a member of Alpha Xi Delta, works as a math workshop tutor, and serves as an Admission Student Ambassador.

“I choose this location, as I wanted an assignment involving co-teaching so that I can follow my passion and skills to teach while also working with other teachers to collaborate and trade strategies,” said Do, who is part of the Peace Corps Prep program at Wittenberg. “I also wanted to go somewhere new. My career goal is to become a teacher, and being a Peace Corps volunteer will allow me to start this career and still serve. It will give me new perspectives on teaching, new strategies, and experiences in different types of classrooms that I will be able to use in my future classroom.”

Do, who applied to the Peace Corps because she is extremely passionate about everyone having access to education, will leave on June 4 for her assignment, just two and a half weeks after graduation. She will serve there for a little over two years, completing her time at the end of August 2028. Her assignment is to co-teach English.

“This gives me the opportunity to expand my teaching skills, while also learning about the world and teaching,” Do said. “The Lesotho trip really opened my eyes to how much I could learn by providing service in a new place. To be accepted to the Peace Corps is absolutely amazing, and it makes me feel like following this passion is exactly what I am meant to be doing. Right now, I am preparing just by completing all of my Peace Corps requirements, graduation requirements, and licensure exams so that there are no issues with me leaving on time.”

Do chose Wittenberg because she loved the faculty-to-student ratio, making it easier to connect with professors and the curriculum.
“I also could tell from just a visit that it was going to do more for me than just giving me a degree, which it has,” she said. “Witt has provided me with opportunities and experiences that I never imagined myself getting. It has completely reshaped my life and continues doing so with experiences like this one.”

Miller, from Rocky River, Ohio, and a graduate of Rocky River High School, has been assigned to serve in the African nation of Lesotho. He is a history major pursuing a minor in education. A part of the Peace Corps Prep program at Witt, Miller leaves for his assignment on Sept. 21 and will be there for two years and three months.

“I did have a choice of where I wanted to serve, and Lesotho was number one on that list,” said Miller, who initially came to Wittenberg to run cross country and track and field. “Joining the Peace Corps comes from a life-changing trip I had in the summer of 2024 to Lesotho through Wittenberg's summer service trip run by Dr. Rosenberg. Being accepted means so much and is a dream come true because I have been thinking about serving since the fall of my junior year. I am so excited to have the opportunity to serve there. Having the privilege to go to Lesotho in 2024 made a huge impact on me for so many reasons, and I could not be happier that I get to go back to a place that means so much to me.”

Miller will serve as a primary education teacher during his time in Lesotho.

“I will be teaching three to-four classes a day over a variety of topics, as well as co-teaching and leading extracurricular activities,” he said. “I could not be more excited for this rare opportunity that I have been granted. I cannot wait to see what comes out of it and see what experiences I have and lessons I end up learning.”

“Peace Corps aligns very well with my career goals,” Miller added. “Before the idea of joining the Peace Corps came up, I wanted to be a history teacher for middle school students, so being able to apply everything I have learned and teaching something completely different is super awesome and exciting, and it will help with applying for jobs down the road. Being able to bring the skills I will learn abroad into the classroom will be amazing.”

Miller is preparing for the assignment by enjoying his last few months in the United States, and just mentally preparing for the change in scenery.

“I will miss out on a ton of things, but it is worth it without a doubt,” he said. “I have enjoyed my time here at Wittenberg so much and could not have asked for a better four years of college. The friends I have made and experiences I have had will be with me forever, and I could not be happier about that.”

Minard, from Dayton, Ohio, and a graduate of Oakwood High School, has been assigned to serve in the African nation of Lesotho as well. She is pursuing a degree in education focused on primary education, P-5, and an intervention specialist, K-12, with a minor in religion. Involved with the Peace Corps Prep program at Witt, Minard leaves for her assignment on Sept. 21 and will be there until Dec. 7, 2028.

“While we were in Lesotho, we had the pleasure of meeting a Peace Corps volunteer, and I immediately knew that I wanted this to be my path,” Minard said. “As an education major at the time, I was not feeling very called to a ‘traditional classroom setting’ and was feeling rather lost in my major. But from this trip, I learned that no path is linear, and you can always find your way to doing what you love. To be accepted meant everything to me; the process is a long one with lots of time between applying and finding out you were accepted. Even after being accepted, there are still even more hoops to jump through. However, being accepted meant that my life is headed in the direction I have now dreamed of for nearly two years of doing something more with my education degree and offering my knowledge to those around the world.”

Minard will be teaching approximately three-to-four classes a day and co-teaching literacy, numeracy, and life skills for children in grades one through seven. She will also help align lessons with Lesotho’s integrated basic education curriculum, lead extracurricular activities including English, math clubs, and sports, as well as collaborate with teachers’ communities of practice.

“Peace Corps aligns with my career goals in the future of wanting to work beyond a public-school setting,” Minard said. “This can be hard to phrase and is not at all to say I do not love public traditional school settings. Any capacity of an educator is what makes the world go round in an elementary classroom. I have just fallen in love with many different educational philosophies, from Montessori to outdoor education. Therefore, having this experience of working/volunteering in these positions allows me to explore so many avenues and connect with so many people out there in the world. To learn and grow with others, all the while making an impact on each other's worlds.”

And speaking of outdoor education, Minard has also dabbled a bit in that area, attending a FIRE (Focused, Integrated, Reflective, Experience) Week adventure at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT). Following graduation, she will be going back to Tennessee as an intern at GSMIT for eight weeks beginning on May 26 through July 17 to serve as a front-line counselor and educator for a variety of Tremont programs. She will teach and lead outside, rain or shine, prepare activities, develop naturalist skills, and help others make connections in nature.

“I am one busy person, but this is how I thrive,” she said. “This internship and the Peace Corps all work out since Tremont is only for eight weeks. With my Peace Corps volunteer departure date being in September, this was a great opportunity, and it is most certainly something I want to do in the future. I deeply loved and appreciated my field experiences here at Witt. One semester, I got to have a field experience at a local Montessori school and fell in love immediately. Shortly after that, I went to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, where I fell even more in love with different ways to educate children through outdoor education and exposure.

“I really enjoy and thrive outside and love to be creative and explore new techniques and philosophies on my educational path,” Minard continued. “I am a firm believer that for a child to learn, they must first be cared for and loved in the classroom before any material can be taught.”

When it came time to choose a college, Minard struggled, as she was unsure of her path in life.

“At the time, it was the most stressful thing that overtook my world, and it was during a weird phase in my life where I really wasn't sure where I was headed,” she said. “However, my brother went to Witt, and so my family was very familiar and had spent time here due to my brother. At that point in my life, Witt felt like a great option and choice for me, and I can confidently say now it was a great decision and fit for me.”

Wittenberg signed an agreement in 2010 with the Peace Corps, becoming only the second liberal arts school in the United States at the time to carry the prep program, which provides students with a unique combination of undergraduate coursework and community service. Today, 64 universities are holding the distinction, as schools are selected for the program based on their demonstrated interest in promoting international learning and service opportunities to their students.

Wittenberg’s prep program is the second oldest in the United States, and more than 25 students have gone through the program over the years. Several have gone on to serve in the Peace Corps or conducted work overseas.

“Since I arrived in 2000, I would say about 45 students have gone on to the Peace Corps,” Rosenberg said. “We were presented with a Peace Corps bell that students ring when entering the Peace Corps. It was sent to us in recognition of 10 years as a partner.

“For these students, I can say that the Peace Corps will be a challenge,” Rosenberg continued. “They will have some of the hardest days of their lives, but they will also have some of the best. I think they will grow as people, learn more about themselves and what they are capable of (often more than they realized), and I think they will learn about another culture and gain new perspectives on life.”