Saint Augustine’s University would like to recognize class of 1987 alumna, Cecilia McGill, for being among the first of Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service. Learn more about Cecilia by reading the press release written by Peace Corps, below.

WASHINGTON – Cecilia McGill 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.

“I am motivated to help and serve the global community where I am needed. I want to learn about different cultures and exchange knowledge with communities abroad,” McGill said. “I look forward to meeting the locals, learning a new language, and making an impact.”

Prior to serving, McGill worked as a United Nations representative for more than 25 years. As minister plenipotentiary and deputy permanent representative, she represented Liberia at the United Nations General Assembly. Moreover, McGill served in various capacities at the U.N. Secretariat, peacekeeping operations, and World Food Program. These are a few of the countries where she was stationed: Israel, Bosnia, Kosovo, Nairobi, Somalia, Italy, and Rwanda.

McGill earned a master’s degree in international business management from Morgan State University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Augustine’s University . She will serve as a volunteer in Albania in the community economic development sector.

The volunteer cohorts are made up of both first-time volunteers and volunteers who were evacuated in early 2020. Upon finishing a three-month training, 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 – and 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 have already returned to a total of 57 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.

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About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff who are driven by the agency’s mission of world peace and friendship. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development. Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 143 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.