Volunteering his time and talents

North Woodmere resident Andrew Postman graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut in May, but instead of heading into the workforce like many of his peers the American studies and psychology major is applying his education to a couple of years as an English teacher for the Peace Corps in Namibia, an African nation in the southwest part of the continent.
Postman, a Lawrence High School alum, class of 2011, will undergo training for three months in Namibia beginning this August, teach and will also take part in projects that focus on HIV and AIDS education.
The recent college graduate reflected on his time at Lawrence High. “My experiences as general chair of Lawrence Model Congress and president of DECA (a business-oriented club) were so formative. It’s so important to our community that these programs are supported,” he said.
Thinking of teaching elementary-age schoolchildren, Postman applied to Teach for America, a nationwide program that recruits people from many walks of life to be teachers. But a visit to Lawrence High social studies Dr. Stephen Sullivan pointed him toward the Peace Corps.
Sullivan taught Postman’s older brother Ian, not Andrew, nevertheless they developed a friendship. “Whenever [Andrew] had free time during the day he would spend it talking to me in my Projects classroom,” Sullivan said.

He would not have predicted Postman would join the Peace Corps, but Sullivan always thought he would be successful in whatever he wanted to do. The relationship continued after Postman’s high school graduation, and Sullivan was able to watch Postman mature into the person he is today. “Maybe as a junior in college I could have called it,” Sullivan said, regarding Postman joining the Peace Corps.
What impressed Sullivan the most about Postman was his drive and dedication once he decided to join the Peace Corps. Having no teaching experience, Postman found a place in New York City where he could volunteer to teach children for about four to six weeks to increase his chances of getting accepted. Sullivan was amazed that “...he basically created a volunteer program for himself so that he can volunteer overseas. It really shows his seriousness and his sense of purpose.”
Sullivan believes Postman is the first Lawrence graduate to join the Peace Corps since Christopher Capobianco in 1997. But Postman may soon have company. Alex Tse, the class of 2013 salutatorian who attends Cornell University, is also interested in joining the Peace Corps. She would like to do work in the health field and wants to volunteer in a Southeast Asia country, she said.
Ellen Postman, the principal of the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center, is confident that this is ultimately the right decision for her son. “He has always enjoyed traveling and participating in community service… [and] when he comes out he will have a world of opportunity,” she said.
As a parent, Sullivan understands that safety concerns must be considered. His son, Michael Sullivan, plans to join the Peace Corps’ mission to Albania next year. “I might be more concerned if I was Andrew’s mom,” said Sullivan. While his son will be doing computer mapping with a GIS (graphic organizational system), Postman will be in working in direct contact with children. That could make him more vulnerable to disease.
Postman does not yet know where he will be stationed in Namibia. “I hope I’m in a beach town,” he said. When asked about what he thinks he will gain from the experience, he answered, “I have no idea what it will be like, so I don’t know how it will affect me ... but hopefully a ton.”