Wittenberg Magazine Online

When Karen Larson entered the Peace Corps and headed to Romania in October of 2001, she pictured herself living in a small village without many modern amenities. Such thoughts quickly vanished upon her arrival, however.

“It was a town of around 40,000 people with restaurants, stores and Internet cafes,” Larson said. Although she admits to having it easy in terms of living arrangements, she nonetheless found her service to be quite challenging.

“I did not expect the pessimistic attitude that I ran across, which was the most difficult part of living in Romania,” she said. “Rarely did I find a young person with the ‘can do’ attitude that is so prevalent in the United States.”

Larson, above left, soon discovered why after learning that students in Romania must bribe their teachers for an A or a parent must bribe their doctor in order for his or her child to receive treatment for pneumonia.

She also realized that making a positive impact would require extreme patience on her part and a little creativity.

Teaming up with another Peace Corps volunteer, Larson decided to use her time and energy to organize a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp.

Geared toward Romanian teenage women, the camp focused on leadership and confidence-building. “The big message I brought to the girls was for them to become activists in their own way,” Larson said.

“I wanted them to become involved in their community and teach others what they learned at GLOW camp.” Looking back at her two years in Romania helping these young women, Larson said the experience was amazing.

“I really got to be close to, and better understand, the young ladies who went to the camp. It was incredible to see their confidence grow,” Larson said.

The experience also proved how “just a small investment in a young person can have a major impact.”

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