SIT Graduate Institute Scholarships
Academic scholarships allow NPCA members to pursue master’s degrees in international programs through SIT Graduate Institute. Members of the NPCA who have one year or more of significant Peace Corps experience are eligible to apply for this $10,000 scholarship. The RPCV Scholars who have come from this program have gone on to do amazing things beyond their master's degree and continue building on the impact of their Peace Corps service.
NPCA members can request information regarding this exclusive scholarship opportunity at 800-336-1616 or 802-258-3510, or on the SIT Graduate Institute web site.
Alyssa served in Peace Corps Costa Rica from 2013-2015 as a Youth Development volunteer. She lived in an impoverished town in the mountains of the central valley and worked in the elementary and high schools as well as with several civil society groups. She worked with elementary school students on life skills including leadership and goal setting; she also worked with adults in conflict resolution, family, race & ethnicity, and diversity & inclusion workshops. She also taught English in schools with a wide age-range of students.
While she was serving, she first heard of SIT from the Director of Programming and Training for Costa Rica as well as from a friend who was completing her practicum through Masters International with the Peace Corps. Because of SIT’s focus on international experience and experiential learning in the workplace, Alyssa knew the program was the ideal fit.
A year after returning from the Peace Corps, Alyssa moved to D.C. to pursue her Master’s in Sustainable Development: International Policy and Management, with a focus on social innovation and entrepreneurship. With the help of the scholarship that she received from NPCA, she believes that “[her] personal and professional opportunities have expanded in a new way.” She recently completed her practicum at the Institute for Inclusive Security where she focuses on monitoring & evaluation. Her projects have involved M&E systems as well as evaluation frameworks and training materials related to national action plans for women in peace and security. Alyssa recently visited Jordan on a field study to examine several social enterprises, and mission-driven organizations in the government, private sector and civil society. Being an RPCV and a student at SIT has changed her path; “my focus has become more global.”
After graduating from SIT, Alyssa intends to pursue a career in the non-profit sector focusing on human rights in global development and international policy. She is interested in working for an international organization involving humanitarian work concentrated in international policy and advocacy.
Learn more about how NPCA supports Returned Peace Corps Volunteers here.
