CV Alumna McKenna McMasters in Eswintini, Africa
Kayla Keefe
Staff Writer
[email protected]
McKenna McMaster is a 2015 CV alumna. She pursued a career in Spanish and International Public Health at Clemson University in South Carolina.
In High School McMaster was in many clubs and activities, including soccer, National Honors Society, Key Club, It Takes One, and National World Language Society.
During her time in high school the CV girls soccer team played soccer in Costa Rica and volunteered at an orphanage in 2014.
“Looking for Colleges I knew that I did not want to stay in PA, I wanted to explore different places other than Central PA,” McMaster said.
McMaster applied to many colleges and got accepted to all of them, but Clemson stuck out the most.
McMaster was a 4.0 student in Calhoun Honors College at Clemson, and graduated in only three years. During her first year of college she went to Madagascar for an eight week health and culture class. She was able to learn their culture and adapt to different places. In 2017, McMaster studied abroad for the Spring semester in Cusco, Peru. While she was in Peru she worked at a clinic for international public health. Then in August 2017 she did a public health internship for three weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.
After graduating McMaster joined the Peace Corps, a volunteer program run by the United States government to promote world peace and friendship. McMaster is in Eswatini, Africa. She will be there for 27 months working in a clinic with HIV patients. While helping patients, McMaster will be able to learn their culture, some of their language, and their way of life.
Of course McMaster’s family is proud of all of her accomplishments.
“I’m so very proud of her desire to do something good for the world.” McMasters mother Jean Svoboda said. “Many of the countries that she has traveled to are very poor and her goal has been to help the people of those countries learn more about health care, while respecting their beliefs and culture. I’m anxious to see what additional great humanitarian things she will do with the rest of her life.”