Sophie Beauchesne of Nottingham will begin Peace Corps service in Paraguay beginning in September
Newport, RI (07/14/2023) — Sophie Beauchesne, a Nottingham, N.H. native and recent Salve Regina University graduate, will be serving with Peace Corps in Paraguay as a Community Environmental Promoter beginning in late September.
Beauchesne graduated magna cum laude from Salve in May with a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies, with minors in biology and sociology & anthropology. She also received Salve's Environmental Studies Departmental Award as well as a Student Leadership Award.
While in the Peace Corps, Beauchesne will engage youth in environmental stewardship by promoting zero waste campaigns and managing tree nurseries.
After her Peace Corps service, Beauchesne aims to follow her longtime passion for global community building and environmental stewardship by finding a career within the field.
Beauchesne credits many Salve faculty, including Dr. Jameson Chace, chair of the Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, for adding the most value to her education and inspiring her to pursue environmental studies.
"As a first-year student, I had no idea what I wanted to study," she said. "I took one of Dr. Chace's biology classes my first semester, where he invited us to go bird banding with him on Thursday mornings. Those early mornings were where I fell in love with studying the natural world around me."
During her academic career, Beauchesne interned at two local nonprofit organizations: Clean Ocean Access and The Aquidneck Land Trust. While with these organizations, she was able to work for a healthy ocean and nature preservation.
"I was able to apply my knowledge from the classroom to work towards solving local environmental issues," she said.
Beauchesne was a four-year member of Salve's field hockey team, playing defense.
"The best thing about Salve is that there are so many opportunities," she said. "All you have to do is show interest, and you will get to do so many memorable things."
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