Nicky Fish, 23, of Oak Park, Ill., has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Indonesia March 14 to begin training as a secondary English education volunteer. Fish will make a difference teaching basic to intermediate English and providing enrichment learning opportunities through extracurricular and non-formal community activities.

“I've been blessed with an education and endless resources and I'm really hoping to give back to those who haven't had the chances I have,” Fish said. “Peace Corps is honestly the perfect combination for what I want in my life right now – a chance to travel and live abroad while also getting to work on my teaching skills and hopefully do some good.” 

Fish is the daughter of Donna Sue and David Fish and a 2010 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and English. During her junior year at the University of Iowa, she studied abroad in Shanghai and volunteered as an English teacher.

During the first three months of her service, Fish will live with a host family in Indonesia to learn the local language and integrate into the local culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills that will help her make a lasting difference, Fish will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in the Indonesia where she will serve for two years.

Fish will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Indonesia and help Fish 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.

Fish joins the 284 Illinois residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 8,460 Illinois residents have served as volunteers since the agency was created in 1961.