Marco Werman, T'83, got his first taste of journalism when he visited his godfather's offices at ABC News in New York at the age of twelve. He instantly became captivated by the combination of storytelling and current affairs, which led him to pursue journalism as a career.
Werman is now a senior producer at Public Radio International and will return to Duke's campus to share his experience as a member of the Peace Corps.
"Peace Corps gave me an enormous base of knowledge that I've applied to my work in journalism," said Werman, who is host of PRI's "The World" and a BBC moderator.
Using state-of-the-art teleconferencing software, he will join other returning Peace Corps volunteers for Duke in Depth weekend, Feb. 24-27. The event celebrates "A World Together," a year-long initiative that highlight's Duke's relationship with the developing world in coordination with the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. The event is open to the public. To register, visit the Duke in Depth website.
Werman will also share his experiences as a Duke undergraduate and what influenced his journalism career. He recalls one such class, Photographing the American Community.
"The first photo I shot, which got group-critiqued in Alex Harris' class, I keep in a frame today on my desk at work. At the time, I had ventured out into east Durham to photograph a pool hall. I just went in, camera blazing," Werman said. "In retrospect, I was so totally off-base. The picture reminds me that the best stories (and pictures) only come when you've established familiarity with your subjects. I've studiously avoided parachute journalism ever since, and learned to go gently into any new situation."
After graduation, Werman applied to the Peace Corps, which assigned him to a post in West Africa's Togo to teach dry-season gardening to junior high school students. He helped plant trees for a number of schools in the Dapaong area so kids could play in the shade during recess.
"I knew a lot about West Africa and I grew accustomed to living there," he said. "That gave me the confidence to stay for another two years, north of Togo in Burkina Faso, and I began freelancing for The Associated Press and the BBC. That in turn got me a job at the BBC African Service as a producer, and that shaped my career."