International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) alumnus Michael Nedbal ’17M is one of 12 volunteers who departed to the Balkan nation of Montenegro on the inaugural Peace Corps cohort on Jan. 17.

As an IPCR student, Nedbal fell in love with Thailand while studying abroad at Mahidol University in Salaya. After graduation from the Arcadia program, he spent two years working as an English teacher at the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Last spring, Nedbal returned to his hometown of Glenside but found that he wanted to continue his international teaching experience, so he applied through a general application to the Peace Corps program.

“The Peace Corps will be a good stepping stone into the IPCR field,” said Nedbal. “This is an incredible opportunity, and I’m both excited and humbled. We’re setting the groundwork for future Peace Corps activities in Montenegro.”

As a volunteer in Montenegro, he’ll spend three months undergoing technical, cross-cultural, and language training before starting two years of service in small, under-served Montenegrin communities, working alongside Montenegrin English teachers in primary schools.

In addition to his study abroad program in Thailand, Nedbal also interned with the Smile Education and Development Foundation in Myanmar as an IPCR student.