Melissa Bright Dishart, a Somers High School graduate who lives in Cortlandt, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Guatemala on June 18 to begin training as a volunteer.
Disart, 22, will live and work in a community to assist in improving conditions in the area.
“I was initially attracted to the Peace Corps for the opportunities to travel and connect with people outside the United States," Disart said. "I wouldn’t have been able to accept this opportunity without the support of my family and friends. They motivate me to work hard and strive to be the best version of myself each day."
Disart said she will miss her family but she is looking forward to finding what's waiting for her in Guatemala. The woman's father Steve is a college professor, her mother Sue works for a non-profit, and several of her family members have served or are currently serving in the military.
The Somers native attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in human services in 2013. Her departure for Peace Corps occurs one month to the day of her college graduation.
“As a newly graduated alumna of GW, I feel motivated to figure out what it is I’m really good at," she said. "I have so much more to learn about myself and the world. I’m ready for that push out of my comfort zone.
During the first three months of her service, Dishart will live with a host family in Guatemala to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist her community, Dishart will be sworn into service and be assigned to a community in Guatemala, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.
"When I return from service in Guatemala in 2015, I look forward to going back to school,” Dishart said.
She joins the 448 New York residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 12,863 New York residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
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