Maplewood Resident Begins Peace Corps Service in Uganda

A young Maplewood woman will be traveling to Uganda, later this month, to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer for the next two years.

Mary Jameson, 23, of Maplewood has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Uganda on November 12 to begin training as an education volunteer.

She will live and work in a community to assist in the education of primary teachers.

“I believe my purpose is to serve others,” said Jameson. “I enjoy traveling, meeting new people, problem solving, and using unique resources to problem-solve.”

Jameson is the daughter of Cathy and Larry Jameson and a graduate of Columbia High School. She then attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges, in Geneva, N.Y., where she earned a Bachelor’s degree. Her school’s commitment to service and the regular occurrence of Peace Corps events on campus helped encourage her to serve overseas as a volunteer.

During the first three months of her service, Jameson will live with a host family in Uganda to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist her community, Jameson will be sworn into service and be assigned to a community in Uganda, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.

Jameson joins the 185 New Jersey residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 4,773 New Jersey residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.