Molly Woodburn of Fredericksburg, a graduate of Riverbend High School, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will serve in Vanuatu as a water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition facilitator.
Woodburn earned a Bachelor of Science in community health with a minor in nutrition at George Mason University in Fairfax in 2018. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, she volunteered with Vida Volunteer and Research in Kenya.
During the first three months of her service, Woodburn will live with a host family in Vanuatu to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, she will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Vanuatu, where she will live and work for two years with the local people.
“I hope to come back from the Peace Corps with a better understanding of the world and cultures. As well as developing useful health education techniques specifically for developing areas,” said Woodburn.
Woodburn will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Vanuatu and help her develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give her a competitive edge when she returns home. Peace Corps volunteers return from service as global citizens well-positioned for professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
Woodburn joins the 364 Virginia residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 8,281 Virginia residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.