Class of 2009, International Business and Economics Major
Hometown: Runville, Pa.

In May, Megan Garner will receive her second degree from the University – a bachelor’s degree in international business and economics. Garner also earned an associate’s degree in English equestrian studies in spring 2007.
   
Garner says that although she’s learned a lot in the classroom from professors with real-world experience, much of what she’s learned has been through her involvement in a variety of activities.
   

Megan helps install trusses on a Habitat for Humanity house in Bioloxi, Miss.

Of those activities, her passion is for Habitat for Humanity. Garner went with the campus chapter during Alternative Spring Break 2007 to North Carolina and was an officer in the club the next year. In 2008, she attended Alternative Spring Break in Biloxi, Miss., and has been active in club activities on campus.
  
“It’s really great because … some of the people who were … waiting for [their own] houses would come and help work on houses, too,” she said of her trip to Mississippi. “They are really grateful for what we’re doing. It motivates us and gives us a visualization of our purpose, that we’re really helping people.”
   
Garner appreciates that the campus chapter includes people from a variety of backgrounds and academic interests. “We all have this common interest and a common motivation … We have a common state of mind. We’re all there for a purpose.”
   
She also volunteers her time with the local Hancock County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
   

Megan is inducted as a charter member into the Mortar Board honor society.

In addition to Habitat, Garner’s been involved with Marketing Club, Students in Free Enterprise and Mortar Board honor society, and she was a Dana Scholar.
   
Garner also was a copy editor for the student newspaper, The Pulse, and regularly contributed opinion columns.
   
Garner gained additional experience working on-campus for the School of Environmental and Emergency Management (SEEM). In the three years she worked for SEEM, Garner did some technical editing, completed paperwork for new courses and grants and even helped with some of the confined space and Occupational Safety and Health Administration courses.
   
Garner plans to continue doing service for others after graduation through the Peace Corps.
   
Her application for a post in sub-Saharan Africa has been submitted, and she likely will begin work in the fall. Garner will use her animal science background to fill an animal husbandry position, and she also will apply her business background to help people in local villages turn their crafts into greater income for their families.
   
The post is a 27-month commitment.