Dustin Pledger

Dustin grew up in rural northwest Georgia. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and is currently a graduate student at Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management where he is pursuing an M.A. in Coexistence and Conflict. Dustin is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served two years in Oromia, Ethiopia. There he worked as an English Language Teacher Trainer, helping to improve the teaching methodology of primary school English teachers. During his time in Oromia, he was involved in many secondary projects, including sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and leadership training for young women. At the end of his two years in Oromia, Dustin was selected to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, where he would help establish and co-manage a regional office which sought to support the work of the Peace Corps Volunteers living in the region by conducting site visits, identifying future sites, and maintaining relationships with volunteers’ host organizations.