NEWNAN, Ga. — Ansley Carpenter, a recent college graduate from Coweta County, is set to embark on a significant journey as she joins the Peace Corps.
“I was sitting in the school library with one of my friends when it came in. I could not believe I got in,” she told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
Ansley Carpenter will serve in Senegal for two years and three months and will live with a host family.
She graduated from the University of the South in Tennessee and previously attended Woodward Academy in College Park.
“I came to understand what an honor it is to be in Peace Corps. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of this program and serve,” she said.
A biology major, Ansley Carpenter will train as a forestry and environmental specialist and will live with a host family in Senegal.
Her mother, Becky Carpenter, described the opportunity as the “opportunity of a lifetime,” encouraging her daughter to take on the challenge.
“She was asking me, ‘Mom—what do you think?’ I was like, ‘My gosh, you’ve got to go,’” Becky Carpenter said.
The Peace Corps, established by President John F. Kennedy, has seen over 4,000 Georgians serve since its inception in 1961, with Carpenter joining 117 current volunteers from Georgia.
Ansley Carpenter’s journey begins with a flight to Washington, D.C., before heading to Africa.
It’s a long way from Newnan, and as the slogan says, it’s “the toughest job you’ll ever love.”
As Carpenter prepares for her departure, her family will have to visit her in Senegal until her vacation in Christmas 2026.
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