Mercedes Vromant, 55, of Canton, Mich., has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Georgia April 21 to begin training as a social entrepreneurship and social development volunteer. She will make a difference assisting private and public businesses, local and regional governments, nonprofit organizations, women’s and youth groups, and educational institutions as a business adviser.
Vromant is following in the footsteps of her son, Steven, 26, a Peace Corps Volunteer currently serving in Namibia. He’ll complete his service later this year.
“I am going to Georgia with an open mind,” Vromant said. “There are so many things that are unknown, and it is part of the challenge in life to manage the challenges as they come.”
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Peace Corps is only the latest adventure for Vromant, who has been traveling internationally her entire life. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Liberia with her family at age 14 and completed high school. She moved back to the Philippines for college, earning her bachelor’s degree in tourism from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. She returned to Africa and met her husband, who is Belgian, in Liberia. They immigrated to the U.S. in 1987, but later spent two years in Germany. Since 2004, her family has lived in Canton, Mich.
Her past jobs include working with a Japanese construction company and American rubber plantation, both in West Africa, as a flight attendant, and most recently, as a contract analyst for General Motors in Detroit. As a Red Cross Volunteer, she traveled to New York to help in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. She also volunteered for AIDS Partnership Michigan in Detroit.
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Vromant says all of these experiences will make her a more effective Peace Corps Volunteer.
“I have always wanted to do something humanitarian,” she said. “I know how it is to live in developing countries, and I know the big differences between living there or in the USA.”
During the first three months of her service in Georgia, Vromant will complete technical, language, health, and safety training while living with a host family to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. The training and cultural exchange prepare Vromant for her two years of service, while also allowing community members to gain a better understanding of Americans. After Vromant is sworn into service and assigned to a community, she will work on sustainable, community-driven development projects that make a difference for the people of Georgia.
Vromant hopes her service will “respond to the ever-changing environment and challenges of business, culture and the global market.”
Vromant joins the 316 Michigan residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 6,866 Michigan residents have served as volunteers since the agency was created in 1961.
About Peace Corps/Georgia: Nearly 480 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Georgia since the program was established in 2001. Currently, 81 volunteers serve in Georgia. Volunteers work in the areas of English education, business, and community development. Volunteers are trained and work in Georgian.
About the Peace Corps: Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, more than 210,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries. Today, 8,073 volunteers are working with local communities in 76 host countries in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment and the agency’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries. Visit www.peacecorps.gov for more information.
