Mary Eyde, a Collegeville resident and La Salle University senior, is looking forward to serving her post-graduation term in Africa as a volunteer in the Peace Corps, writes Marc Narducci for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Eyde attended Perkiomen Valley High and is now a political science major and a member of La Salle’s golf team. However she first began thinking about joining the Peace Corps in elementary school.

“I didn’t want to start a career right away making money,” she said, “I wanted to be able to empower people.”

She was originally supposed to leave for the Peace Corps on June 7, but her departure date has been changed to September 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Once she does make her way to Africa, she will be teaching English in Benin. Her reasoning for joining the Peace Corps is to bring the best out of the youth she will be teaching.

“It is not so much about helping people, it is more about empowering them to use the skills and knowledge that they already have,” Eyde said.

Read more about Mary Eyde at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.