Many graduating seniors are heading into the workforce or graduate school following commencement on May 20. One Saint Anselm student however will be traveling to Swaziland, located in southern Africa, to serve in the Peace Corps for a two-year period.

Seamus Igo, ’17, is an international relations and peace and justice studies double major from Clinton, MA. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he has been a resident assistant for the past three years, and recently served as the president of the King Edward Society, which is one of the on-campus service organizations.

The Meelia Center for Community Engagement also recognized Igo for his dedication to community service by presenting him with a Senior Service Award this past April.

When asked why he decided to join the Peace Corps, Igo said he wanted to “immerse” himself into another culture.

“I have always been interested in international affairs, especially UNICEF [the United Nations Children’s Fund] and other organizations that do good work around the world helping people. I wanted to do something like that,” Igo told The Crier.

He cited experiences at Saint Anselm on the Winter Break Alternative and Spring Break Alternative service trips, and work he as done through the Meelia Center and with the King Edward Society for inspiring him to continue to give back after graduation.

“I thought a good organization that helps people internationally would be the Peace Corps,” Igo continued.

Before he can begin doing service, Igo said he will go through three months of training.

Training runs until “mid-August [of 2017] then I won’t come back [to the U.S.] until August or early September of 2019,” he said.

As of now, Igo does not know specifically what kind of service he will be doing in Swaziland, but he did say that he will be focusing on healthcare.

“Swaziland has the highest percentage of population with HIV or AIDS so that is probably what I’ll be working with, but I could also be working with things like tuberculosis, which is prevalent down there too,” he continued.

When asked what he is looking forward to most, Igo said, “It’s completely different from anything I have ever experienced before. I [will] get to learn a lot. I could be anywhere in that country.”

“I could be in more poverty-ridden areas, so I get to work within a community like that, which I find to be the most effective way of helping people,” he added.

As far as what Igo will do when he returns from Swaziland, he said, “I probably want to get a master’s [degree] in international development, or maybe in international healthcare.”