Megan Chivers ‘26 will work with the Peace Corps in Mexico, focusing on environmental education and sustainable agriculture. Photo by Ryan McCormick ‘27.
Ainyr Benedis-Grab ’26 will find out for certain if her future lies in a primary school classroom as she begins her Peace Corps service in the Cambodian education sector this fall.
“I switched my major sophomore year of college, but since I was a kid, I’ve always loved working with kids. I’ve always just had a passion,” says the marketing graduate from New York City. “I’ve worked at a summer camp in New York City, and in Boulder, Colorado, for the past decade now.”
She’s one of two Eckerd College seniors to receive a placement in the Peace Corps this year. Megan Chivers ‘26, an environmental studies graduate from Saratoga Springs, New York, will be heading to Mexico to work in environmental education and sustainable agriculture.
Ainyr found out in April, while grabbing a drink at the campus Starbucks, when an email popped into her inbox. It read, “We invite you to serve in the Peace Corps.”
Ainyr Benedis-Grab ’26 will serve in the Cambodian education sector of the Peace Corps this fall. Photo courtesy of Ainyr Benedis-Grab.
“I thought, ‘What is happening right now?’” says a still stunned Ainyr. “It’s a very fast process, and I think my brain fully didn’t comprehend all the information so quickly.”
More than 175 Eckerd College alumni have served, or will soon serve, in the Peace Corps since 1961. According to the organization’s website, Peace Corps volunteers work in six sectors in more than 60 countries to “build relationships, exchange cultures and knowledge, and help transform lives for generations.”
Ainyr had an inkling she might serve, since her father worked for the agency in Tanzania as a science teacher. But it wasn’t until a friend in the Eckerd College Peace Corps Prep Program was hosting a lecture about the program and serving that she seriously considered applying. She’d come to the College as a human development student and fell in love with marketing along the way. Her internships and summer jobs remained geared toward her first love: working with children.
Megan says her internships and work with the Eckerd College Community Farm are what made her a competitive candidate for placement. As a lifelong gardener, she embraced composting and other jobs on the campus farm while pursuing her degree in environmental studies.
Megan Chivers ‘26 credits her work with the Eckerd College Community Farm with making her a strong candidate for placement. Photo by Ryan McCormick ‘27.
“I’ve always been interested, but I had not specifically worked at a farm,” Megan explains. “I did my internship over the summer for environmental studies at Daystar Life Center, which is like a community garden and food pantry in St. Pete. I kind of got involved with that through [Farm Faculty Director, Internship Coordinator and Instructor of Environmental Studies] Dave Himmelfarb. I stayed here over the summer, and I got free housing because I applied for the scholarship to do my internship.”
The immersive experience prepared her for conditions of agricultural work in a tropical climate. When she heard her application had been accepted in Mexico, she was elated. Not only could she further her Spanish language skills, but she’d also be working for at least two years post-graduation to prepare for graduate school.
“The farm really rewired how my brain works,” Megan says. “The classes I took within environmental studies were such interdisciplinary classes, and I learned about issues and how to solve them. You kind of saw all sides of it. I think this education is way different. And the farm manager, Maggie Jensen [‘11], she’s literally the best person ever. It was so awesome to have that kind of woman in a leadership position at the farm. It just taught us so much, and she did it with so much love.”
Both Ainyr and Megan will depart for their intensive training in August and then deploy to their service locations immediately after.
