Public Health Passion Propels SLU Grad to Peace Corps Service in Namibia
Fueled by curiosity, compassion, and a drive to serve, Elizabeth Barsness ’24 has taken her passion for public health across the globe.
Now she’s in Northern Namibia, serving as a CHHAP (Community Health and HIV/AIDS Program) Peace Corps Volunteer, dedicating her first year after graduation to supporting public health on a global level.
Barsness’ Peace Corps experience was made possible in part by her completion of St. Lawrence’s Peace Corps Prep Program, which helps students gain a competitive edge in securing a Peace Corps position, but also prepares them for a diverse array of job opportunities.
The program, which recently corded 11 graduating seniors, consists of six different sectors—education, health, agriculture, youth development, community economic development, and the environment.
Participants choose a sector of interest, then take three classes related to that sector. Additionally, participants complete 50 hours of paid or unpaid field work, which can include an internship or any other work related to their sector of choice. All participants must take three courses oriented towards developing intercultural competencies, and there are also leadership, resume, and interview components.
Barsness, who earned her Peace Corps Prep certificate from St. Lawrence in 2024, now applies that preparation daily, working with HIV patients, supporting health education programs for young people, and helping with pharmacy supply logistics.
In addition to her work supporting public health, she’s led week-long camps for teens focused on HIV education and life skills. Outside of her service, Barsness has immersed herself in her new community, joining sunrise hikes with fellow volunteers, dressing in traditional Owambo attire with her host family, attending house greeting ceremonies for local elders, and hanging out with the goats just outside her village.
Her experience reflects the goals of the Peace Corps Prep Program itself: to equip students with the academic foundation, cross-cultural awareness, and leadership experience needed to serve in meaningful ways around the world.
The PCPP is just one of the ways St. Lawrence supports and prepares students for off-campus study or work. Over half of all students undertake some sort of off-campus learning experience. That tradition and reputation is part of what made the University recently climb to 16th place in national rankings for participation in semester-length study abroad programs for the 2022-23 academic year, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report.
This marks a two-spot rise from the previous year and places St. Lawrence among the top 35 baccalaureate institutions nationwide for overall participation in credit-bearing study abroad opportunities.
