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Longing for Nepal

Jill Chaskes Foster treasures time as Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal

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From 1997 to 1999, Jill Chaskes Foster volunteered in Nepal with the Peace Corps. Here, she poses near a phone office during her time in the country. Photo courtesy of Jill Chaskes Foster.

Name: Jill Chaskes FosterPosition: Staff assistant, Department of BiologyYears at Duke: 14 years

What I do at Duke: I help administer the undergraduate program in biology, which includes things like putting together our course schedule, coordinating the graduation ceremony for students and a lot of interaction with undergrad majors and faculty. I’m kind of like a catchall resource person.

What I love about Duke: The sense of vibrancy on campus. There are so many interesting things going on all around campus and to be a part of that is a really exciting feeling. It’s a sense of community.

If I had $5 million, I would: Pay off my mortgage, sock away a chunk for my children’s college funds, do some traveling and donate to charities. I’d love to take my family to Nepal. I was a Peace Corps volunteer there in the late 90s to teach English, and I promised myself when I left the village there that I’d be back one day. I was in service from 1997 to 1999 and it’s something I’ll always treasure as a big part of my life.

My first ever job: A paper route in the summer after eighth grade. I took it on to cover for another person in my neighborhood. I was up really early at 5:30 or 6 a.m. every morning. I’d receive the stack of papers, so I’d have to fold them all and then deliver 30 to 40 papers around the neighborhood and collect money every two or three weeks.

My dream job: To be on Broadway. I grew up singing, dancing and performing in school and community theater. My dream as a child was to be on Broadway. When I’m at DPAC and see a show, I’m jealous of all the people on stage and like to picture myself living that lifestyle.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: Jump rope. My children both jump with the Bouncing Bulldogs team so I somehow find myself talking about jump rope all the time and it’s not something people are familiar with. It’s really good exercise, and I love it’s an activity both my kids can do together.

The best advice I ever received: To not sweat the small stuff and focus on what’s important. It’s easy to get dragged down into worry about things out of our control, but I’ve tried to be more ‘zen’ as I’ve grown older and let things go if they’re not important.

Something most people don’t know about me: I’m certified to teach with a license for secondary education in English. I decided that wasn’t for me, though. To be a teacher, you have to feel a calling and passion to do that work every day.  So I went on to obtain a master’s degree in higher education administration to work in a college setting instead.

A memorable part of working at Duke: I participated in the earlier incarnations of the Run/Walk Club. I had never been a runner my whole life but got involved in 2003 to train for a 5K on campus. At the time, 3.1 miles seemed like an endless amount of running, but I’ve stayed a runner and never would have gotten involved if I hadn’t joined that group.