WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks alumna Jaymi Smith, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in global studies in May 2023, earned acceptance into the United States Peace Corps. In October 2023, she will travel to Timor-Leste to work as a community economic development facilitator.  

Smith — who was born in Las Vegas, Nevada but grew up in rural Pennsylvania — previously spent the fall 2021 semester in Thailand where she completed an internship working with indigenous people’s organizations and studying Thai culture, politics, and economics. Additionally, she traveled to Malaysia with Cheryl Nicholas, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and global studies, to complete a public history project.  

Prior to Smith’s acceptance, Penn State Berks alumnus Michael Gonkerwon Siaway, volunteered as a primary teacher for the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa in 2016. He graduated from Penn State Berks in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in global studies.  

About the Penn State Berks global studies program 

The bachelor of arts in global studies program offered by Penn State Berks is designed for students who are interested in a liberal arts degree with a concentration in global studies. Students engage in active and collaborative classroom experiences in addition to intensive study abroad and internships. Graduates are well-prepared for employment in a wide range of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, industries and businesses.