Mikelle Moon graduated from Western Brown High School in 2012, and since that time, has known exactly what she wanted to do with her life. Her sole ambition is to be a teacher internationally.

Currently a student at Shawnee State University with a graduation date of May 2017, Moon has already had the opportunity to teach in Ghana, Africa through the International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ).

IVHQ is an international volunteer organization working in over 20 countries that sends thousands of volunteers abroad annually.

The organization was established in 2007 and works with hundreds of different projects through Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“I knew that learning about other cultures was very important to me,” Moon said, “And I knew being a tourist was not the way I wanted to learn about new cultures.

“I want to teach English, and I’m hoping to teach in Seoul, South Korea some day after I graduate next year. I spent 10 days in Ghana teaching and it was an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Moon said she literaily googled… ‘volunteer programs in other countries’ and was able to get in touch with IVHQ. She was able to raise enough money through her jobs to make the trip to Ghana.

“I loved my time I spent in Ghana,” she said, “I felt like I was giving something back. I was amazed to see just how many of the students at the school where I volunteered, spoke English, and spoke it well. I noticed the older people didn’t speak English as well as the kids.

“It was quite interesting when I got there, I was handed an English book and sent to a classroom. As soon as the kids heard I was an American, they really got excited.

“They kept asking questions about President Obama, and saying how much they loved him. It was really something. And they all said their big dream was to some day go to America.”

Moon said she stayed in a home with a local family where there was no electricity or running water. She said she was given a bucket and shown to a special room with a dirt floor where she could take a bucket-bath.

“Sadly, there are no where enough teachers in Ghana,” Moon said, “I would like to go back there some day. But I am really looking forward to teaching in China next year.

Mikelle is the daughter of Troy Moon and Shannon Davis, of Mt. Orab.

To learn more about IVHQ visit www.volunteerhq.org.