Morgan Marks, Nominee for Rotary Peace Program
Posted by Rich Newman
on Jul 13, 2015
Morgan Marks presented a program at the clubs Wednesday July 8, 2015 meeting. Morgan has been endorsed by the Club to attend one of Rotary’s Peace Centers. She is from Furlong, PA and received her undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Government and Sociology. She spent some time out west working for the Conservation Core in Montana and loved it before joining the Peace Corps to work in Zambia. Her inspiration came from working with a woman who was a victim of genital mutilation. Morgan presented a slide show and shared some of her experiences while in Zambia.
Morgan told us that Zambia is split by provinces. She worked in the eastern part, which has the least amount of water. She was there from February, 2013 to April, 2015. She said that the culture shock is definitely real. Morgan lived in 
the Daula Village for 27 months working at a school. The children had to walk four kilometers each day to go to the school (two there and two to go home). During her time there, Morgan tried to get the people in her village to work together. She said that they do not have watches and tell time by the sun!
Morgan taught yoga to the children and also taught them the alphabet and English. Her first three months involved training to, among other things, help her learn the language. She was also taught fish farming.
While she did get sick there, Morgan never had any serious illnesses. She got around while there by biking and walking. Morgan told the Club that the biggest crop is maize. Sweet potatoes are also a big crop. She said that she stocked the pond in the village with fish. Five thousand fish were added to the pond in one day. Her biggest project was to renovate the school there. This was especially important since the school had never been renovated in its history.
“Fun” fact - while there, Morgan lived in a hut for two years which did not have electricity or running water.
Morgan said that because of what happened to that woman and because of what she saw while on the ground in Zambia, conflict resolution is very important to her. She truly wants to help people work together. She said that it took her two solid years to get everyone on the same page in Zambia so that her replacement could step into a stable situation.
Morgan’s goal is to attend the Rotary program at the University of Queensland in Australia on mediation. She said that she was contacted initially by Joanne about the program. There are two programs, one is a three month program to get a certificate in conflict resolution. Only 50 people per year are allowed to go into the program in Australia. There is also a Master Degree program. The focus of that program is on the Middle East and Europe. Morgan said that if she gets a scholarship she then would apply to the University to see if they would accept her. She sent in the paperwork earlier in the month and will hear back in the end of October. The program in the United Kingdom is her second choice.
Everyone who attended the meeting walked away very impressed with Morgan. She is an amazing young woman and an outstanding candidate for the program. We wish her the best of luck!
the Daula Village for 27 months working at a school. The children had to walk four kilometers each day to go to the school (two there and two to go home). During her time there, Morgan tried to get the people in her village to work together. She said that they do not have watches and tell time by the sun!Morgan taught yoga to the children and also taught them the alphabet and English. Her first three months involved training to, among other things, help her learn the language. She was also taught fish farming.
While she did get sick there, Morgan never had any serious illnesses. She got around while there by biking and walking. Morgan told the Club that the biggest crop is maize. Sweet potatoes are also a big crop. She said that she stocked the pond in the village with fish. Five thousand fish were added to the pond in one day. Her biggest project was to renovate the school there. This was especially important since the school had never been renovated in its history.
“Fun” fact - while there, Morgan lived in a hut for two years which did not have electricity or running water.
Morgan said that because of what happened to that woman and because of what she saw while on the ground in Zambia, conflict resolution is very important to her. She truly wants to help people work together. She said that it took her two solid years to get everyone on the same page in Zambia so that her replacement could step into a stable situation.
Morgan’s goal is to attend the Rotary program at the University of Queensland in Australia on mediation. She said that she was contacted initially by Joanne about the program. There are two programs, one is a three month program to get a certificate in conflict resolution. Only 50 people per year are allowed to go into the program in Australia. There is also a Master Degree program. The focus of that program is on the Middle East and Europe. Morgan said that if she gets a scholarship she then would apply to the University to see if they would accept her. She sent in the paperwork earlier in the month and will hear back in the end of October. The program in the United Kingdom is her second choice.
Everyone who attended the meeting walked away very impressed with Morgan. She is an amazing young woman and an outstanding candidate for the program. We wish her the best of luck!