NEW MEXICO—In March 2020, the Peace Corps recalled over 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers from overseas because of COVID-19. Many volunteers were left unemployed and few were eligible for unemployment benefits. As a result, qualifying Returned Peace Corp Volunteers were granted non-competitive eligibility, which offers a streamlined process hiring managers can use to quickly hire talented candidates into vacant positions. Married couple Rae and Joshua Kursky were two of the talented returning volunteers hired under this special hiring authority.

“I served in Paraguay from 2017 to 2019 with my wife, Rae Lynn. We lived in a very rural farming village of 300 people, about 100 kilometers from the capital city of Asuncion. I was in the Environmental Conservation program and my title was community conservation promoter. As I have a background in forestry and was completing my Master of Forestry degree with the PC Masters International program, I also appointed myself as an agroforestry extension volunteer,” said Joshua Kursky, recently hired forester on the San Bernardino National Forest. “Although difficult, and at times frustrating, trying to create and implement projects with no resources or funding, the program allowed my wife and I to become true parts of our small community. We now consider many of the people in our village like family.

Rae served in a rural Paraguay community for two years alongside Joshua as an agricultural extension agent, working to increase knowledge of food production, soil retention and erosion prevention.

“I found the program in Paraguay to be enlightening. It trained me to see that every single person has the capacity to dream, to love, to hope and to build,” said Rae Kursky, recently hired hydrologist on the San Bernardino National Forest. “It helped me not to be in a rush all the time and redefine what I think success means. The Paraguayan culture taught me that every day is new, and to let go of hurt, pain, blame and fear quickly. I gained more value for a calm and peaceful life while farming, gardening, sitting under trees, talking in a new language and realizing I am just one little piece of a big world. Perspective really is everything!”

The Kurskys are great examples of the vast experience, qualifications and desirable attributes that hiring managers might find in Peace Corps volunteers. Returning volunteers frequently have advanced post-secondary education, real-world experience in challenging situations and a strong service orientation. In some cases, volunteers may have a direct connection to the Forest Service and land management.

“My grandfather, Nathan E. Lambert, retired from the Navy and worked with the Forest Service in Williams, Arizona, almost all my life. I learned that it was important to manage our natural resources early, but as a young girl, I didn’t imagine I would one day work for the Forest Service myself,” said Rae Kursky. “I found inspiration while working trails with an Americorps organization now called Northern Arizona Conservation Corps. While working with a Forest Service hydrologist in the red rocks of Sedona, I helped rehabilitate a riparian area. I was inspired and used the Americorps Education Award to go back to school and become a hydrologist with a whole new set of goals.”

As in Joshua’s case, others may have invaluable experience as a seasonal wildland firefighter and advanced education in forestry.

“It felt great getting hired by the Forest Service. I had worked two seasons on a Forest Service fire crew before starting a graduate program in forestry, so getting a full-time permanent position has been a goal for a while,” said Joshua Kursky. “Following two years of amateur reforestation and agroforestry efforts with little institutional support in Paraguay, I feel very excited to begin a career in professional forestry with an organization dedicated to the effort.”

Since March, the Forest Service has employed more than 45 returning Peace Corps volunteers throughout our agency. While onboarding has shifted to a virtual process due to the pandemic, we are still just as excited to welcome the returning volunteers into our agency.

“Onboarding has been slow. Lots of webinars, self-directed learning and sitting in my home office wondering what all these acronyms mean,” said Joshua Kursky. “I understand that COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in everything and everyone is operating without precedent for a time like this. Everyone I have met in person has been incredibly welcoming and all seem excited and invested in their jobs and the agency.”

Rae shares a similar perspective, grateful to have been given the opportunity to join a workforce that shares values that align with her own.

“My first few weeks have been great. I am thankful for all the webinars I have been able to participate in and I think all the resources are reassuring. I have my full-time dream job, hot water in the pipes, glass in my windows and a humorous husband to help me not take myself so seriously,” she said. “I am thankful that during the confusion of 2020 I was able to find a good job, but deep down I feel I am exactly where I have always wanted to be—caring for the land and learning new things every day.”

The Returned Peace Corp Volunteers hiring authority is still available for interested hiring managers. If you are interested in posting a notice or hiring a returning Peace Corps volunteer, please contact your Regional Human Resources Service Teams or a regional recruiter. Notices can only be for permanent positions, not temporary or term appointments.