Peace Corps spirit connects people not just across borders, but across lifetimes.
By Amota Ataneka Merang and Humans of Kiribati
When Peace Corps Volunteers step into classrooms around the world, they may never see the full ripple effect of their service. But for Amota Ataneka Merang, a young student from the remote island of Nikunau in Kiribati, those ripples carried him across oceans—and eventually into a Ph.D. program in Educational Studies at the University of Cincinnati.
As a boy, Amota dreamed of following his older brothers to senior secondary school in Tarawa. With little money for tuition, he set his sights on earning a scholarship to Kiribati’s top school, KGV. His determination was fueled by his Peace Corps teacher, Heidi, whose library project sparked a mind filled with ideas that would guide him long after she left the island.
City life in Tarawa was overwhelming—cars, electricity, and classmates who spoke differently. Intimidated and unsure he belonged, Amota avoided school for weeks. But one conversation with a friend changed everything. Once he stepped into the classroom, he committed fully, earning scholarships to study in Australia and the United States.
Amota’s dreams stretched even further. After watching a movie about Harvard, he sent away for information—and months later, his first piece of mail from Harvard University arrived. Years later, while interning in the U.S., he turned that dream into reality, visiting Harvard, meeting professors, and traveling solo across Boston, Washington D.C., and New York City—navigating iconic cities he once only imagined.
His academic journey came full circle when another Kiribati Peace Corps Volunteer introduced him to the University of Cincinnati. Today, Amota is pursuing his Ph.D. under the mentorship of a third Returned Peace Corps Volunteer at UC—proving that the Peace Corps spirit connects people not just across borders, but across lifetimes.
This AAPI Heritage Month, Amota’s story reminds us that Peace Corps service doesn’t end after two years. Its legacy lives on in the lives transformed—years, even decades, after a volunteer’s time in the field. Thank you to all the Peace Corps Volunteers who serve others around the world.
“With desire and determination, any I-Kiribati can do the same.” — Amota Ataneka Merang