Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn Gives Life Advice at IGNITE Event
By Mariam Baldwin
IGNITE, an organization that seeks to empower women in politics, hosted Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn in the Pryz Great Rooms on Tuesday, October 9. Spahn is a CUA alumna who was appointed by President Joe Biden as head of the Peace Corps in 2022.
She talked to CUA students about a multitude of topics, such as her beginnings in the Peace Corps, impostor syndrome, and the challenges of leadership. The second portion of her talk was a Q&A where students could ask her anything they wanted.
Spahn first served as a Peace Corps volunteer in post-Cold War Romania from 1994 to 1996. Later, she would serve as the Country Director of Peace Corps Malawi.These experiences are what made Spahn who she is today.
Candidly, she talked about struggling with impostor syndrome early on in her career. She had to overcome these insecurities and find her own voice. She also talked about how she had to get rid of people-pleasing tendencies to lead effectively . This message resonated with the general audience, particularly young women.
Siyanne Daniel, a freshman mechanical engineering major, commented on how the talk related to her own experience.
“Being a woman in a male-dominated field is empowering because it’s about showing your potential through your work, not just going with the expectations,” Daniel said. “Every challenge is a chance to show that talent speaks louder than numbers. Seeing other women in male-dominated fields makes me proud to be here too.”
Freshman Tammy Patugalan echoed similar sentiments.
“I plan to apply her lessons to my life work in a sense that my life work requires me to take steps in that general direction,” Patugalan said. “In order for me to take steps, I have to remember the things she said about being fearless, taking chances, and falling forward.”
Spahn also touched on what her travels have taught her. She declared that her perception of the society we lived in changed when she realized that as Americans “we put so many walls up.” She told a story of how the Malawi people are always rich in joy despite being materially poor and said, “We choose to show up to each other with joy because it is the only thing we can offer.”
By the end of the event, students had received a treasure trove of life advice from Spahn. All that’s left for them to do is use it and follow in her footsteps, which they can only hope will lead them to being as equally accomplished leaders as Director Spahn.
