Ten years ago Ayla Olvera was walking the halls of Queen of Peace and now she is walking the streets of Peru as a member of the Peace Corps. While home on a short break, Olvera recently returned to Peace to share stories about her adventures in the Peace Corps. Olvera first heard about the Peace Corps while attending Queen of Peace and says her desire to serve others was influenced by all of the service opportunities that were available to her in high school. The Peace Corps requires a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree so Ayla was off to Eastern Illinois University to earn a degree in International Business. It was during her professional career that she realized that she was feeling unfulfilled and still searching for an opportunity to give back. At that time she applied to the Peace Corps and was accepted. She selected Peru as her permanent site because she was interested in improving her Spanish.

Olvera spends her days teaching the Peruvian people about fiscal management, small business operations and sustainability. In addition, she is part of a Diversity Task Force that is a support system for Peace Corps volunteers in the field. In her spare time, Olvera spends time teaching children ages 8 to 12 about the world outside of the Peruvian borders. Many of the Peace students had questions about the Peruvian culture and Olvera shared stories and anecdotes about Peruvian fare, traditions and customs as well as how she adjusted to day to day life in a new country. Olvera was delighted to return to Queen of Peace because so much of her work in Peru is focused on female empowerment and she attributes her desire for female equality to her time at Peace, “Being at an all-girls high school is amazing, there is nothing like it. It’s an environment where girls can just be. They have the chance to truly find themselves and see their value in society without any distractions. I wish girls all over the world had access to an environment like Queen of Peace.” Olvera returns to Peru with plans to come back to the states permanently this summer to pursue an MBA in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Enterprise.