Home > Jerrod Vaughan - Peace Corps Volunteer in Tzarevo

       Peace Corps Volunteer Jerrod Vaughan started working for the Tzarevo Municipality in November. He is part of fifty-five Americans who were honored on the 22nd of October as the fourteenth group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve the Republic of Bulgaria. 

       Peace Corps Volunteers in Bulgaria foster local economic development by working with Municipalities and local organizations, promoting environmental preservation, assisting with the management of Bulgarian natural resources, parks and preserves, working with youth groups and organizations and teaching English language in secondary and primary schools. Peace Corps Volunteers work for Bulgarian sponsoring organizations and institutions and are supervised by Bulgarians. 

       Prior to beginning their two-year assignments throughout Bulgaria, Volunteers receive twelve weeks of intensive training in sites around the town of Pazardjik. They learn the Bulgarian language and culture, live with Bulgarian families, and work on small-scale community projects. 

       When these fifty-five Volunteers begin their work, a total of 160 American Peace Corps Volunteers will be serving in Bulgaria. Since 1991, 519 Peace Corps Volunteers have completed their service here and returned to the United States. 

        The Peace Corps began its work in Bulgaria in 1991 through an agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and the government of the United States. The Peace Corps was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to provide technical assistance to other countries. Its other goals are to acquaint other peoples with Americans and their culture, and to give Americans the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. Since 1961, over 160,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers around the world. Approximately 7500 Peace Corps Volunteers are currently working in over 75 countries, in such fields as agriculture, business development, education, environment, health care and youth development. 

        For more information about the United States Peace Corps and its programs in Bulgaria, please contact the Peace Corps office in Sofia (980-02-19). For information on covering this event, please contact the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy at 980-3667 or irc@usembassy.bg .

        Jerrod Vaughan is from Dallas, Texas. He is 23 years old and has two brothers, Landon and Drew. Landon is 20 years old and currently attents Baylor University and majoring in business. Drew is 18 years old and attends Maypearl High School. His parents names are Carter and Mileta Vaughan. Jerrod graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University in May 2003 with a major in business administration and a minor in political science. He was a member of the organization "Beta Gamma Sigma", which is a natinal honor society for business students in the top 15% of their class. He ran a marathon in Vancover, Canada on May 5, 2003 while raising over $3600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In addition, Jerrod was an active member of his fraternity Phi Gamma Delta where he participated in various community service projects, including the "Boys and Girls Club of Waco".

       Jerrod spent his first 12 weeks in the town of Bratsigovo, a small town near Pazardjik. He loves to run and was attacked by two dogs while running in Bratsigovo. So if you seem him running with a small baseball bat, he isn't crazy, just protecting himself. Also, he doesn't know any "real" cowboys, but would love to talk about the television show "Dallas" if you would like. 

       If you have any questions, come see him in the Information Center in the Tzarevo Municipality, or you can email him at: Jerrod_Vaughan@yahoo.com