Temecula Woman Among First Peace Corps Volunteers To Return Overseas

TEMECULA, CA — Temecula resident Megan Buckley is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buckley, a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, earned her bachelor's degree with a focus in finance and real estate in 2023. She shared her thoughts on working with the Peace Corps along with some fond memories from home.

“Volunteering in Temecula, whether at youth court or helping out at community runs, brought me the most joy and fulfillment. I believe that volunteering and experiencing different cultures can promote mutual respect and understanding, leading to a more connected and peaceful world,” Buckley said. “In the role of an economic development facilitator in the Peace Corps, I want to help promote sustainable growth and empower communities. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to use my skills in finance to help others.”

According to a Peace Corps spokesperson, she will serve as a volunteer in Fiji in the community economic development sector.

Buckley will join others in three months of training before she leaves, and both she and fellow volunteers will collaborate with their host communities on locally prioritized projects in one of Peace Corps’ six sectors – agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, or youth in development. All will engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work.

Currently, the agency is recruiting volunteers to serve in 59 countries around the world at the request of host country governments to connect through the Peace Corps’ grassroots approach across communities and cultures.

Volunteers like Buckley have already returned to a total of 56 countries around the world. The Peace Corps continues to monitor COVID-19 trends in all of its host countries and will send volunteers to serve as conditions permit. Americans interested in transformative service and lifelong connections should apply to Peace Corps service at www.peacecorps.gov/apply.