After a lifetime of helping others and dreaming about what it would be like to serve in the Peace Corps,Ellie Vaughter’s(Thtr’91, MHum’00) aspiration is finally coming true. At age 77, Ellie will start an exciting new chapter in her life — a two-year journey to Kazakhstan in central Asia where she will teach people in a small mountain village to speak English.
“I love to travel but never had a lot of money to do it, so this will be a great experience,” says Ellie who has been to London and France but never to Asia.
While the prospect of living in a foreign country for two years might make some elders nervous, the adventuresome Ellie has no qualms about her upcoming journey, except her luggage limits.
“They told me I could only take 50 pounds of clothing, which is going to be absolutely impossible!” she exclaims.
Upon her arrival in Kazakhstan, Ellie will spend three months learning to speak the local language before diving into 21 months of volunteer work. She has had experience teaching English as a second language in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Denver.
“I would like to encourage older citizens who are finished with their careers to step out and take some risks and make a difference in the lives of other people,” she says. “The baby boomers who are retiring from their jobs should consider doing something valuable, whether it be joining the Peace Corps or volunteering at a local school.”
Ellie is much older than the average Peace Corps volunteer but that doesn’t faze her. She enrolled in college in her 50s to broaden her horizons and obtain a degree in theater, a field for which she has long been passionate. While at CU she also served as the house mother at Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was involved with the French department.
“You don’t go to school to get jobs,” Ellie says. “You go to get an education and broaden your world.”
As Ellie prepares to leave for Kazakhstan, she is spending a lot of time with her family and is busy planning her son’s wedding. She stays active by swimming and cross country skiing. Despite being 77, age isn’t a barrier to Ellie.
“One of the reasons I keep going is because I get up every morning and I do something,” she says. “If someone gives me a discount, I’ll take it, but that’s about the only time I consider myself a senior citizen because I’m doing everything I want to do.”
Photo by Andi Fabri
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