Interview with Cheryl Royal Piropato, June 28, 2021

Interview Summary

Cheryl Royal Piropato served as a Peace Corps Volunteer (Agriculture, Education) in Liberia from 1981-1983. She always had a longing for adventure. In college, she backpacked across Mexico. That multicultural experience and a friend’s Peace Corps application influenced Piropato to apply for the Peace Corps. Piropato’s volunteer group trained in Washington, D.C. and in Gbarnga, Liberia. Peace Corps provided practice teaching and tutoring in Sapo, the indigenous language used in her small village of Juarzon in Sinoe County, Liberia. First, Piropato demonstrated “paddy farming” for planting rice to replace traditional slash-and-burn agriculture. Only one farmer was willing to try. So at the request of villagers, Piropato began teaching science in grades 6-9, using her college biology textbook for lessons that students could reproduce in their “copy book.” Piropato translated her Peace Corps values into her subsequent professional life. For the past 30 years, she has delivered “informal education” programs at nature preserves and zoos, where she helps Americans develop broader perspectives on complex environmental and social issues like preserving rainforests.

Interview Keyword

Liberia (Country of service) 1981-1983 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Ivory Coast Mexico Sapo (Language) Juarzon (Liberia) Sinoe County (Liberia) Greenville (Liberia) Monrovia (Liberia) Gbarnga (Liberia) Paddy farming Paramount chiefs World Bank Juarzon village chiefs School library Sapo National Park Sinoe River Rainforests Slash and burn agriculture

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Liberia Liberia Acculturation Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages Lifestyles Manners and customs Voluntarism Volunteers

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Interview Usage

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