After spending two years in the Republic of Cape Verde with the Peace Corps, Rachel Banger ’06 suffered sensory overload when she returned to the United States and visited New York City (NJ.com, 10/13/11). The megalopolis was a profound change from the small island of Fogo, 375 miles off the coast of West Africa, where she worked with the municipal government to help islanders develop small businesses. Banger drew from what she’d learned as a double major in international studies and economics and from working for Bank of America in Chicago. She was also an experienced traveler, having spent a year on the Hollins Abroad-Paris program (she minored in French) and some time in China teaching English, which made adjusting to an entirely new culture less stressful than it might have been. “In a challenging situation, it may be unpleasant,” she said, “but the benefits are enormous if you stick it out to the end.”