Genesis Osorio, 24, of Garland, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and recently departed for Colombia to begin training as a primary education teacher trainer. Osorio will work at the community level to help Colombian teachers develop and improve English teaching techniques within the classroom. She will also create educational resources, school curriculums and facilitate staff professional development trainings.
“My upbringing motivated me to join the Peace Corps,” Osorio said. “Growing up, my mom did a lot of mission work with my church, and I always enjoyed going on the trips with her. As I got older, I realized that this was something I wanted to do.”
Osorio is a 2011 graduate of South Garland High School. She attended Texas State University in San Marcos where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2016.
“I learned to love teaching because of my professors,” Osorio said. “I enjoyed the various internships I had, volunteering within the community and student teaching. Being part of the Zeta Eta Chapter of Delta Gamma played a big role, too. I can honestly say that my university, and the people placed in my life really molded me to pursue something I always wanted to do.”
During the first three months of her service, Osorio will live with a host family in Colombia to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, Osorio will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Colombia, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.
“My service in Colombia will allow me to connect with others in ways that I wouldn’t have known were possible,” Osorio said. “It will allow me to become more fluent in Spanish and will be a huge asset when I return from service and work with [predominantly] Spanish-speaking schools in Texas. I believe this opportunity will help [me] become independent, resilent, and allow me to develop empathy and compassion for cultures different than my own.”
Osorio will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Colombia and help Osorio develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
Osorio joins the joins the 277 Texas residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 7,606 Texas residents have served as volunteers since the agency was created in 1961.
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, Volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today’s global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 225,000 Americans of all ages have served in 140 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.