Hamel receives Peace Corps placement

From the sands of the Saraha Desert to the backwaters of South India, Arwen Hamel made use of her time as a Northern Michigan University student to see the world - and she isn't stopping anytime soon.

The Champion, Michigan native recently received a two-year placement in the Peace Corps in Fiji where she'll work on community economic development, focusing on cultivating new revenue streams within villages.

"I'm really looking forward to connecting with local people, learning about the culture, the language," Hamel said. "Every time I've traveled, my favorite thing has been connecting with that community."

The placement came after applications to other international programs fell through, including reaching semi-final status for a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program, but she didn't let those setbacks keep her from her ultimate goal - taking her first step in a career that would include international travel.

"I like to say it was meant to be," Hamel said. "That door closed so the Peace Corps could open, and maybe that's the right path for me."

Hamel's story is one of perseverance, an embodiment of the old adage we all heard as kids - if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

NMU Senior Success Advisor Ryan Bond agreed, saying his own success stories "are people like Arwen."

"Those are my biggest success stories, when I see a student persevere through this and not give up. That's the thing - not give up," Bond said. "I share my own story - I applied for the Fulbright, didn't get it, and applied for something as an alternative and got it, and I'm glad it worked out that way."

Applying for multiple international scholarships was difficult, but worth it, according to both Hamel and Bond, who cited the rigorous work as an avenue for personal growth.

Bond's love of international travel was sparked by a year-long undergraduate stint in Germany. He originally intended to go for just a few weeks, but was encouraged to stay longer by a faculty member.

"He pushed me to go for a whole year, and I bought a one-way ticket," Bond said. "It was the best thing I ever did with my life."

Since Bond first came to NMU in 2023, he has been hoping to provide that same push to students here. So, when Hamel became his advisee, he worked with her to ensure she was able to have the international experiences she was looking for but didn't know how to find.

"I was so happy when he started. I was at that point where I was graduating in a year or so and I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I had these ideas," Hamel said. "How do I get abroad? How is this an option? What do I do? It was nice to talk with him with all these options and things I'd never heard of."

Hamel had the Peace Corps in the back of her mind as a potential post-graduation option since her freshman year, when a volunteer gave a presentation on the organization during her Introduction to International Studies course.

Since then, Hamel took care to avail herself of the travel experiences open to her as a student. That included a couple of weeks volunteering in Greece, a faculty-led trip to Vienna, a study abroad adventure in Morocco and a six-week volunteer trip to India where she taught women English and computer skills.

"Faculty-led study abroad programs here are absolutely the amazing," she said. "NMU really helped boost my confidence with various study abroad programs, and a great advisor in Ryan [Bond]. I had a lot of support and if I had any questions, I could go to different people to get them answered.

"Really, the study abroad portions of the programs have been the best part," she added. "It gets you out there and outside of your comfort zone, and that prepares you the most for lots of different situations."

In between all that travel, Hamel found time to participate in the Student Leader Fellowship Program, and also gave two public presentations on her trips to Morocco and India at the Ishpeming Public Library, potentially providing the same experience to someone else that she had all those years ago in a freshman introductory course at NMU.

Hamel's biggest advice to new students hoping to experience international travel during their NMU tenure is to keep an open mind.

"When you're ready to take the next step, start small … seek out different experiences and always go with the flow," Hamel said. "You're here to enjoy, to learn, but not everything is going to be perfect, so don't try to make it perfect."

Now officially an NMU alumna - Hamel graduated in 2025 with a degree in international studies - she leaves in early September for three months of Peace Corps training, then will head to Fiji for her two-year placement.