By Ling Lau

Alexandra Alper is a first-year dual degree student at Columbia, pursuing Masters degrees in International Affairs and Journalism. Her interest lies at the intersection of politics and media. A former Peace Corps volunteer, she has witnessed firsthand the important role that media plays in politics and survival, especially in countries with frequent political instability. Her experience also helped her to realize the power of media in transmitting information to those who needed it most. Her interest and belief in the power of media brought Alexandra to New York after her experiences in Washington, Guinea and Cape Verde.

Alexandra received her undergraduate degree from Brown University, where she majored in Latin American studies. She studied abroad in Ecuador for a year during college, piquing her interest in international travel. In 2006, after completing her undergraduate degree, she went to Africa with the Peace Corps where she was able to learn French and do development work.

Working for Peace Corps in Africa was a unique experience. In Guinea she lived in a mud hut without running water.  Every day Alexandra trekked to the nearest pump to get water, which she carried back home balanced on her head. She adjusted easily to her new lifestyle,“I guess it is really easy to go to Africa when you are young.” She says, “I was in Guinea for a year and was evacuated because the protests and strikes. Then they sent me to Cape Verde where I stayed for another two years. ”

Aside from the cultural adjustment and inconvenient living conditions, the greatest challenge Alexandra faced was loneliness and staying motivated in such isolation. In Guinea the closest volunteer to Alexandra lived 85 kilometers down the road.  She said, “so I was lonelier than I had ever been, but, the loneliness pushed me toward independence and maturity.” Whenever she felt sad, she reminded herself of her belief in the mission of Peace Corps.

Alexandra was assigned to a number of interesting projects. One that stood out was the solar mango dryer project, preserving mangos for year-round consumption. She learned to build mango dryers and trained community members in their construction and use during harvest season.  Projects like this one helped to alleviate malnutrition.

Alexandra faced the same issues that many Peace Corps volunteers deal with. Being the newcomer in a well-established community and trying to train people while having limited technical expertise yourself can be a daunting task.

Another difficulty many Peace Corps volunteers face is working in the midst of political instability.  In 2007, the situation deteriorated to the point that Alexandra was evacuated from Guinea to Cape Verde. Radio broadcasts in English and French became the only source of local information. With such limited information available, Alexandra started to realize the importance of media: “journalism can be beneficial in terms of development”.

In Cape Verde, Alexandra had the opportunity to work at a national park making movies and short portraits of locals. She even started working at a local radio station and was host of her own show. This experience worked to solidify her passion for journalism.

“However, I felt that I was missing the macroeconomic and geopolitical background, which motivated me to come back to school to do a dual degree in international affairs and journalism,” Alexandra added.

Talking about future plans, Alexandra says her dream job would be teaching journalism in Africa, but she would like to gain some work experience as a journalist first. “I really wanted to go into journalism and help the world.”