05/20/15
Tre L. Giles, Colorado Springs, Colo., graduate of the 2015 class at Fort Hays State University, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for The Gambia May 26 to begin training as a primary education teacher trainer.

"Giles will make a difference by providing formal and informal training and support to elementary school teachers in a co-teaching environment," said a news release from the Peace Corps Office of Press Relations.

"I have always wanted to join the Peace Corps right after I graduated college, and thankfully the people around me did not let me give that dream up," said Giles in the Peace Corps news release.

Giles, son of Tammy Giles and a graduate of Widefield High School of Colorado Springs, earned a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership.

"Fort Hays State invested in me, and my advisors and mentors kept me motivated to reach my goals and dreams," Giles told the Peace Corps. "Most majors give you one hard skill, but with the leadership degree, that is not the case. My major has developed my soft skills. I have learned the best ways to motivate people, to conduct relationships and business in an ethical manner, how powerful the follower is, and other simple things like how valuable it is to actually listen to people. These are very transferable skills in any job, but especially for the Peace Corp."

The Peace Corps said Giles will spend his first three months in the Peace Corps living with a host family to become familiar with the language and culture. Giles will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Cameroon where he will serve for two years, working alongside local teachers and teaching English.

According to the Peace Corps news release, Giles is one of nearly 90 Fort Hays State University alumni who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.