who we are
Erika Esquivel is a New York Native with Mexican heritage. She graduated from SUNY Geneseo with her BA in Math and a Chemistry minor. She enjoys expressing herself through photography and crafting. She applied to the Diversity Committee because she want to be engaged in diversity outreach initiatives and advocate issues of diversity for volunteers.
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Ilana Shapiro is from the Washington, D.C. area and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Economics and Politics in 2018. Here in Morocco, she works in a small village in the Rif region of Morocco, and focuses primarily on girls' empowerment and athletics. She enjoys reading, running, and (trying to) learn to cook Moroccan foods. On the Diversity Committee, she hopes to focus on providing enhanced support to volunteers of diverse backgrounds.
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Joseph Toth is from the Cleveland, OH area and is living in a site north of Fez. When he's not hanging with his preschoolers, he's jogging, reading, practicing yoga, and watching Netflix.
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Julie Crookham is 28 years old from Austin, TX. She's an RPCV from Indonesia. She enjoys working with her GLOW Club, and lives in Chichaoua near Marrakesh and Essaouira.
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Hey guys, my name is Yeshe Sherpa! I’m an Nepalese-Tibetan Asian American woman from NYC. I graduated from SUNY Purchase College. My site is a small town near Essaouira where I teach English, yoga, and Zumba/Bollywood dances to my lovely girls. As your newest member of the diversity committee, I hope to provide an avenue for the celebration and understanding of our own identities!
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Hey, my name is Colin Babikian and I am serving in the Beni Mellal region! Here in my region we love to watch sugar being made and talk about the weather. Hint, its always hot! In site, I work with a handicap association and Dar Tqafa and plan/prepare art and discussion classes while also teaching whatever harebrained idea comes to mind. Along with that, I love to read, run, and practice Tae Kwon Do. I joined the committee to help provide resources for minorities serving here as best as I can and help facilitate conversation between volunteers about these issues!
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Hi! My name is Alejandra Salgado and I am a Latina American woman from Los Angeles, CA. I graduated from Life Pacific University. My site is a Village South of Morocco known for its Amazigh culture and 45 ancient kasbahs. I am currently teaching English and Spanish classes to youth and women. I enjoy exchanging culture with community members and joining them on walks through the beautiful fields of date palm trees at site. As a new member on the diversity committee my desire is to bring a safe space for personal experiences and appreciation for the variety of identities and cultures represented in Peace Corps.
O U R S T A F F A D V I S O R
Hoda Mansouri
what we do
educate
We host trainings, workshops, and open discussions to foster a stronger PC Morocco community. We also develop technical resources to educate LCFs, HCNs, and future/current PCVs about diverse identities, inter-sectional allyship, cross-cultural communication and more. Our education efforts focus on providing resources for teaching Moroccans about American diversity and its origins, teaching fellow PCVs about the experiences of other volunteers here in country, and helping staff to better understand the evolving needs of a diverse PC Morocco community.
advocate
We work with PC staff on continuing to acknowledge issues of diversity, and provide consistent and specific advocacy and support for PCVs at risk of harassment, discrimination and/or prejudice due to the PCV's visible and/or non-visible identity(ies).
collaborate
We collaborate with PC Staff, Peace Corps Volunteers and Host Country Nationals to create safe spaces, develop relevant resources and encourage inclusive practices in both public and private spaces.
a few of our current projects
Diversity ConferenceInitiative spearheaded by Julie to create a conference dedicated to building capacity for allyship and promoting understanding among PCVs and Moroccans
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inclusion sessionsWorking with staff to ensure that diversity and inclusion sessions are included in mandatory trainings for PCVs
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site visit
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