Where in the World is Shea Youell?

Shea Youell, former middle school Language Arts teacher at Ocracoke School, is in Macedonia for a 4-year term with the Peace Corps.

He knew from the start that if he were to leave Ocracoke, it would definitely be in order to join the Peace Corps. In addition to this, reading Al Scarborough's book about his own experiences in the Peace Corps in Africa strongly encouraged him to apply.

In August of 2012, he began the application process which involved two essays on why he wanted to join, three letters of recommendation, and “pretty much everything you did since the day you were born on paper.” He submitted it by the end of September, and in December he received a call saying he had an interview.

He then met the regional recruiter of North Carolina in Raleigh in mid-January, where he was surprised by the informal dress of his interviewer, as he himself was wearing his Sunday best. They basically wanted to make sure he was willing to go on, and that he was flexible and open-minded. It is not recommended to walk in with a set idea of what country you would like to serve in, or a high-maintenance diet or other demanding lifestyle needs. He was nominated right after the interview, and the process continued until he received final word in late April.

Ninety-eight percent of volunteers in the Peace Corps have a college degree. There are lots of categories that different members specialize in, including health, community development, education (Shea's subject), environment, and agriculture. Shea has been assigned to teach children, but he doesn't yet know their age range, or what kind of classroom situation he will be in. He also understands that he needs to stay open to the possibility of having to build roads or do other kinds of community service outside of his teaching. He will probably be working 40 hours per week.

He was surprised to find out he would be shipped to Macedonia, because a lot of Peace Corps groups go to Africa. But he was not disappointed – he would have gone anywhere. He admits he did have to look it up on the map (north of Greece, bordering Bulgaria to the east) and that he knows next to nothing about it, besides the fact that it's near Mother Teresa and Alexander the Great and certainly other figures of rich ancient history.

He also claims he does not blame himself for being uninformed about this nation. A little research has shown him that they do have indoor plumbing, malaria drugs, and no extreme temperatures, which are all good things to have. They also have internet and electricity, and are more developed than a lot of the countries that the Peace Corps serves. They are working toward becoming a part of the European Union, and they’re in the midst of adopting new policies. They just developed a new curriculum for their schools. They have a 30% unemployment rate. Their education system provides English as a Second Language classes from first through twelfth grade.

Mr. Youell will be missed at Ocracoke School. He stated that he can't imagine never returning to the island in some capacity.

“I owe it to myself to come back one day," he said. "The thing is you never have a first job again, and that’s what Ocracoke gave me. Best case scenario, I probably reached five students. But the experience will be important for me always.”

He's beginning his Peace Corps work with eleven weeks of language training in the town of Kratovo with seven other volunteers. They live with a host family, go to classes, and are integrating into the community. 

“I don’t walk in thinking I will make a lasting impression," he said. "I just think it’s pretty cool that the Peace Corps sends people into different countries without a gun or a Bible in hand. For some reason we believe it does some good, and I do, too.”

Shea grew up in Virginia and came to Ocracoke for his first teaching job after graduating from Chapel Hill. He taught middle school Language Arts for two years, and also coached cross country and Quiz Bowl, the first Ocracoke School sport to have try-outs. 

“You need to go see the world!” is a point that he emphasized to his students. “I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t take this opportunity.”