Alabaster resident Samuel Richardson joins the Peace Corps.
Sam Richardson’s dad told him early on that there are two types of education. There is the type of education when someone learns through textbooks and college courses, and there is a different type where you travel and immerse yourself in a culture. This doesn’t mean staying at a five-star resort next to a secluded beach; it means having a local meal and exploring the country’s values.
Richardson already completed the first type of education, earning his college degree at the University of South Alabama, majoring in interdisciplinary studies. Now it’s time to focus on the second type of education, which he is pursuing by joining the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps—founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy—sends American volunteers to different countries and communities across the globe. These volunteers work to exchange culture and knowledge with those they are serving. Volunteers also provide technical assistance in areas such as education, health, and agriculture. Since its founding, over 240,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 144 countries.
Like his parents, Chip and JoAnne Richardson, Sam was born and grew up in Alabaster. He describes it as, “the perfect place because not much really happens… There is stuff to do, but it isn’t a big city.” He attended Thompson High School, where his love of Spanish blossomed with teachers Charli Hamlin and Ashley Downs. He particularly remembers that Hamlin encouraged the idea of getting out of his little bubble of Alabaster.
After graduating from Thompson in 2015, Richardson enrolled at South Alabama. Initially, he was interested in healthcare, specifically becoming a physician assistant, and he worked as an EMT while he was a full-time student. However, Richardson discovered that education was his true passion. The major he chose, interdisciplinary studies, allowed him to take classes he enjoyed, such as Spanish, literature, and philosophy. Professor Brian Whitener deepened Richardson’s interest in culture. Instead of focusing only on Spanish grammar and vocabulary, Whitener showed movies, read local articles, and talked about countries’ economies. He encouraged the idea of Richardson going abroad and exploring Spanish-speaking countries for himself.
After graduation, Richardson began working towards his Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification. During this time, he tutored two gentlemen from Nevada on Zoom.. Having just moved to the U.S. from Mexico, they knew practically no English. Teaching these brothers, Richardson learned a lot. He not only improved his own Spanish but also got better at teaching English. He learned the art of lesson planning and teaching English in ways that would be useful in day-to-day life. The brothers worked in the fencing industry, and Richardson made sure to teach them words they could use on job sites, as well as phrases that would help them ask questions at the grocery store or order in a restaurant. “It was a whole lot of fun,” Richardson says of his time tutoring the brothers.
Richardson accepted a job teaching Spanish at Calera High School. While there, he began feeling, as he described, a “pull to do something abroad—not just visit somewhere. I wanted to live somewhere.”
Richardson had first been introduced to the Peace Corps while at South Alabama. The government program held a conference there, educating interested people in its mission and opportunities. Professors from the university who had volunteered spoke about their experiences in the program.
During Richardson’s time teaching at Calera, he had the Peace Corps in the back of his mind. He still felt that pull,so he decided to explore and discover new cultures, and as his dad said, pursue his second type of education. Richardson applied during winter break for an opening in Mexico and was accepted. He left in August for training in Washington D.C., to be followed by another 10 weeks of training in Mexico.
In an interview a few days before his departure, Richardson said he was “choosing to go in a little blindly.” He was unsure where he would stay and teach in Mexico. He didn’t know who his host family would be or what type of home they have. He hadn’t met anyone in person who would be in his group, though they’d had some introductory zooms. He figured all that would change when he stepped off the plane in Washington.
He did, find out that he will be an assistant professor at a university, teaching English. While in the classroom, Richardson will be speaking English; outside of the classroom, one of his goals is to improve his own Spanish-speaking abilities. He is also thinking about the more meaningful growth he hopes to achieve. He’s heard repeatedly that “the Peace Corps is the hardest job you’ll ever love.”
He’slooking forward to being stripped of his daily comforts: “I want to get better at appreciating the small things, at being content.” He has even decided not to come back home during his 27-month expedition. He wants to fully dive into Mexican culture and relationships with his students, host family, and fellow volunteers. While his family is welcome to visit him after the first six months or so, he wants to “just stay put.”
During the interview for this story, Richardson says he is packed and ready. Though he was allowed to check two bags and take a carry-on, he was only bringing one bag and a school backpack. He packed light, which speaks to his overall mindset—living slower, not focusing so much “on things and the rat race and all that.” He packed gifts for his host family, English books and magazines, and a few things specific to Alabama, including a map and a brochure about his state’s wildlife. “Everyone’s probably heard of California and New York, but when I say I’m from Alabama, they might not know where that is,” he says.
He admits to being a little nervous and wonders: Will I be lonely? Will I struggle? But then he adds, “It is a good and healthy anxiety. I am at peace with it. It is just time to get on the plane.”