Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-078
Mary Quattro served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia from August 1968 to November 1970 as a secondary education teacher. She was born and raised in a small rural community in West Virginia with a large immigrant population. She joined after completing a degree in education, and her pre-service training in Hawaii covered the Bahasa Malay language, teaching techniques, and Malaysian culture. At the time, Malaysia was a newly independent country and welcomed Peace Corps support in various areas, especially education. Quattro boarded at her school alongside a diverse group of students and teachers. While she loved her site, colleagues, and the work in general, she felt the Peace Corps failed her in not dealing with a stalker, which forced her to leave service two months early. The experience changed how she saw the world and helped develop her self-confidence. Interviewed and recorded by Randolph Adams, December 9, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).