STETSON UNIVERSITY
Perry finds passion in service to others By Molly Justice B eing raised in a family w<strong>it</strong>h a history of civic and commun<strong>it</strong>y service, Brian Perry has always been exposed to the virtue of helping others. So the decision he made in 1998 to join the Peace Corps came w<strong>it</strong>h l<strong>it</strong>tle surprise. "I believe that service to others is imperative for a healthy, modern commun<strong>it</strong>y," said the 31-year-old <strong>Stetson</strong> Univers<strong>it</strong>y pol<strong>it</strong>ical science graduate ('93). "It is not enough to just pay taxes and go to work. One must put in considerable sweat equ<strong>it</strong>y so that the organizations that support our commun<strong>it</strong>ies are healthy and have regular input from c<strong>it</strong>izens. Joining the Peace Corps was a natural next step in this philosophy." Perry entered the Peace Corps in 1999 and was assigned to work in Zouan-Hounien, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa, for two years. Zouan- Hounicn is near the Liberian border in the western part of Cote d'Ivoire, a nation of about 15.8 million people. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of raw cocoa and also produces coffee, rice, yams and other vegetables. Some of the problems facing the town include <strong>can</strong>als filled w<strong>it</strong>h dirt, weeds, trash and water; uncollected garbage; stagnant water; wandering livestock; and contaminated wells. In add<strong>it</strong>ion to san<strong>it</strong>ation issues, the country has weathered a period of pol<strong>it</strong>ical instabil<strong>it</strong>y and civil unrest in the past few years. Violence broke out last fall after a controversial vote ousted the incumbent dictator from power. More than a <strong>do</strong>zen civilians were killed during the protests. Perry and the other 119 volunteers were the first Peace Corps group to work in the country. He worked w<strong>it</strong>h the urban environmental management program, which helps town halls tackle the environmental problems facing the region as their areas become larger and is responsible for the general environmental management of 25 small villages. "I have always grav<strong>it</strong>ated toward civil service jobs and volunteerism," he said. "As a student of government, I <strong>do</strong> not believe that there is a more direct vehicle to make pos<strong>it</strong>ive changes in the world today than that of government agencies and non-governmental organizations." After graduating from <strong>Stetson</strong>, Perry worked for about five years for the state court system as a court service officer in the 7C`' judicial Circu<strong>it</strong>, which includes Volusia County. During his last two years w<strong>it</strong>h the state, Perry assisted w<strong>it</strong>h the development and implementation of the drug court program, which is a sentencing alternative to incarceration designed to rehabil<strong>it</strong>ate qualified drug offenders. He received his master's degree in public administration from the Univers<strong>it</strong>y of Central Florida in 1998. Less than a year later, Perry left Volusia County to go into the Peace Corps. He in<strong>it</strong>ially was sched- <strong>Stetson</strong> alumnus Brian Perry in Zouan-Hounlen, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, w<strong>it</strong>h a trad<strong>it</strong>ional "lutter" or wrestler. (Photo courtesy of Brian Perry) FALL 2001 uled to go to Mace<strong>do</strong>nia and work as a consultant w<strong>it</strong>h nongovernmental organizations in Eastern Europe. His plans changed as the conflict in Kosovo escalated. He now was faced w<strong>it</strong>h the dilemma of mastering the language of the people in Cote d'Ivoire -French. Perry said this came easy to him because he had to live in a society surrounded by the language. "After 18 months, I have mastered the language sufficiently to live and work here," he said. "I have not regretted coming to Africa for one moment." While he <strong>can</strong>not pick out one signifi<strong>can</strong>t person or event from his experience, Perry said he's been most impressed w<strong>it</strong>h the overall resiliency of the people and the way each village tends to look after <strong>it</strong>s own. "There are many proverbs that are used here in Africa and Cote d'Ivoire in general, but one that may embody the spir<strong>it</strong> here is, `Where there is enough for one to eat, there is enough for two. Where there is a place for one to sleep, there is a place for two.' This puts the idea of a commun<strong>it</strong>y taking care of <strong>it</strong>s own to a new level. Here they <strong>do</strong> not just say <strong>it</strong>." Perry said many of his <strong>Stetson</strong> experiences, both in and out of the classroom, helped prepare him for his Peace Corps work. "My studies in the Pol<strong>it</strong>ical Science Department have given me the theoretical framework to understand what is going on around me. Since my work is w<strong>it</strong>h the local municipal<strong>it</strong>y, this has been very important," he said. "Also, during my senior seminar w<strong>it</strong>h Dr. (Gene) Huskey we focused on `ethnic<strong>it</strong>y in conflict.' This in particular has given me a base w<strong>it</strong>h which to watch events in Cote d'Ivoire and Africa as a whole." Huskey, a <strong>Stetson</strong> pol<strong>it</strong>ical science professor, said his seminar teaches students about how people in other countries divide themselves and what conflicts arise out of those divisions. He said Africa has the richest human divers<strong>it</strong>y in the world and hoped that Perry's studies at <strong>Stetson</strong> had somewhat prepared him for his Peace Corps experience. "He is a person who finds hope where others see despair, and so he is especially well-su<strong>it</strong>ed for service in a region w<strong>it</strong>h serious economic and pol<strong>it</strong>ical challenges. All of his work has been devoted to the service of others," Huskey said. Perry completed his Peace Corps service in September and is pursuing job opportun<strong>it</strong>ies w<strong>it</strong>h the U.S. government and international non-governmental organizations <strong>do</strong>ing development work. He hopes that his future profession will take him overseas. "While being in the Peace Corps, I have gained a new appreciation for life in the U.S.," he said. "Even more so, <strong>it</strong> has given me an appreciation for life outside the U.S. I have come to receive new cultures w<strong>it</strong>h great fondness and tolerance -finding the many ways in which people organize their lives and commun<strong>it</strong>ies qu<strong>it</strong>e fascinating." Justice is the associate director of communications in <strong>Stetson</strong>'s Office of Marketing and Communications. Before coming to <strong>Stetson</strong> in January, she was a staff wr<strong>it</strong>er for The Daytona Beach News-journal. 9