Kira Campagna ’26 and Ruby Radis ’26 were the first two students to chime a newly installed bell inside the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center to celebrate their completion of the Peace Corps Prep Program at Elon University.
A pair of rising seniors were the first to ring a bell gifted to Elon University this spring by the Peace Corps to commemorate a popular campus program completed by dozens of students over the past decade.
In a special May 9 ceremony on the third floor of the Global Commons, Kira Campagna ’26 and Ruby Radis ’26 – both of whom recently completed the Peace Corps Prep Program at Elon University – each sounded the bell affixed to a wall of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center.
The Peace Corps gifted the bell to the university to commemorate a partnership between the two that dates to 2013 when the Peace Corps Prep Program was established at Elon.
The Peace Corps Prep Program equips students with critical competencies across four essential areas: sector-specific training, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional leadership development. Skills align with all six Peace Corps service sectors: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Youth in Development.
The program is directed at Elon University by Jennifer Eidum, an associate professor of English who previously taught English in Ukraine as a Peace Corps volunteer. More than 60 students have completed the requirements of the Peace Corps Prep Program since its inception.
Campagna, an elementary education major, credits her classroom observations and student teaching experiences with providing valuable preparation for working with diverse populations.
“Each experience has taught me a new and valuable lesson for which I am forever grateful,” she said. Campagna plans to pursue a teaching program that will allow her to work with children in need after graduation.
Radis, who is considering graduate studies in law or social work, said she found tremendous value in her service-learning experiences, including volunteer work with the CityGate Dream Center in Burlington. “The best part about doing Peace Corps Prep-related work is the ability to learn and take in knowledge from the community,” Radis said.
Both students encourage their peers to consider the Peace Corps Prep Program. Campagna said she advises prospective participants to “stick with the process” while Radis emphasizes the importance of maintaining “an open mind and a willingness to learn because you never know who or what might teach you an important lesson.”
The Peace Corps also recognized Elon University’s contributions to its mission to promote world peace and friendship in a recent list of top-25 volunteer-producing colleges and universities.’
Elon University is ranked No. 16 in the medium colleges category with seven Elon alumni serving in four countries around the world: Morocco, Panama, Peru, and Senegal.
Visit the Elon University Peace Corps Prep Program website or contact Associate Professor Jennifer Eidum ([email protected]) for more information about the program.