RPCVs Going Live: Join The Virtual Hangout!
Ask Questions & Get In On The Convo
Date: Sunday, June 15
Time: 10:00–11:00 AM Eastern (U.S.)
Where: Visit the Instagram page @nikkibanzzzzz to watch it live!
Can’t make this Live? We have another featuring our Peace Corps Connect Scholarship Recipients. Get more details HERE.
MISSED THIS LIVE? YOU CAN REWATCH IT HERE.
Join @nikkibanzzzzz (Nicole Banister, NPCA’s dynamic PCC25 Emcee and international superstar host) as she goes live with three guests to talk all things Peace Corps:
- Nicole Banister, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, South Africa (13-16).
The Peace Corps was her first full-time job out of college, having graduated from Georgetown University in May and touching down in South Africa less than two months later in July.
Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer undoubtedly altered the entire trajectory of Nicole’s life. She lived with a host family in a rural village where there were no tarred roads, more cows than people, and an hour’s drive away from the closest grocery store or ATM.
She learned how to speak Sepedi in order to communicate with her neighbors, she walked a kilometer in the blazing sun to get to/from the school she was working at, and because she didn’t have running water, she bathed in a bucket every single day for 2.5 years.
Nicole took up leadership roles within the Peace Corps South Africa community, being elected by her peers as the Chair of the Volunteer Support Committee and thus traveling across the country to welcome every single new cohort of Volunteers with workshops on intercultural dialogue, resiliency, and coping mechanisms for the immense challenges that Peace Corps service demands.
Peace Corps is one of those unparalleled professional experiences that changes you for the better, and it is her honor to be one of the 240,000 Americans who have served their country in this capacity to facilitate cross-cultural exchanges, promote international cooperation, and to advocate for world peace.
Now, Nicole leverages media to amplify the voices of the world’s most dynamic young change makers. She has emceed in-person in 28 different countries across 4 continents, and moderated virtual events for 25,000 people online. Listen to Nicole unapologetically speak her truth during her live!
- Louis Weiner, Peace Corps Trainee heading to Morocco (25–27).
Louis is originally from Minnesota, but he graduated from Colby College in Maine in 2024. First and foremost, he decided to serve in Peace Corps because he wanted to be part of something bigger than himself, and he thinks there is no more important time to do that on a global stage than right now.
- Aura Christman, Current Peace Corps Volunteer, Paraguay (23–25).
Aura is from Virginia, but also proudly Colombian. She was inspired to join the Peace Corps because she wanted to be part of meaningful change—in the world and within herself. Now, just two weeks away from finishing her service in Paraguay, where she served as a Community Economic Development Volunteer, she can honestly say this experience has been everything.
The kindness of the Paraguayan people, their warmth, and the way they welcome you with open arms has shaped every part of her journey. Their unreserved support made it possible to implement projects focused on community economic development, and she has been lucky to collaborate with her incredible site mate/fellow PCV these past two years. She has so much love for this country, her community, and the host family that became her own.
- Cyndi Capurso, NPCA staff member, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Madagascar (19-20).
As Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from every corner of the globe prepare to reunite for Peace Corps Connect 2025—the most anticipated gathering of the decade—one familiar face on Instagram Live is working behind the scenes for our conference: Cyndi, on NPCA staff as Program Coordinator.
Cyndi served as an English teacher before being part of the historic global evacuation of Peace Corps Volunteers in 2019 due to COVID-19. Her journey—from service abroad to rebuilding connection at home—has come full circle as she now helps lead NPCA’s largest and most meaningful event to date.
If you have questions about the Peace Corps Connect experience—from travel logistics to workshops to community meet-ups—Cyndi’s your person.
Reach out, reconnect, and get ready. Peace Corps Connect 2025 isn’t just an event—it’s a homecoming.
Get ready for a lively conversation spanning the past fifteen years of Peace Corps service. They’ll be diving into stories about preparing for service, returning home, and what has them most excited for this year’s Peace Corps Connect Conference in Washington, D.C. It’s your chance to connect, get inspired, and hear firsthand what the journey of service is all about — past, present, and future.
Can’t make this Live? We have another featuring our Peace Corps Connect Scholarship Recipients. Get more details HERE.