Social work alumnus now serving in the Peace Corps
When Rodney Long '12 came for a visit as a prospective high school student, he told his admissions counselor he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to help people.
"Malone staff and faculty furthered this desire," said Long, a social work graduate and now a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Botswana. "My time at Malone made the decision to join a pretty easy one. The staff, faculty, and students I met during my time at Malone helped foster a mindset of dedication and service to others. The influence of people at Malone equipped me with a servant's heart."
In August, Long began development work for the Red Cross in Sefhare, Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa. His duties include program development/evaluation, fundraising, and strategic planning.
"This has been a very interesting experience," he said. "I'm really excited about being here." Long took his first-ever airplane ride, one that lasted 15 hours. And he is living without running water. He'll stay until October of 2017.
"The education I received at Malone helped prepare me for real world work. The professors provided relevant lessons and experiences that have helped prepare me to work effectively with the people I'm serving. At Malone, we were taught to work alongside people in the community. We learned to speak, from the people, not for them," Long said. "The education I received at Malone has given me the skills and knowledge needed to serve people, in every way possible."