GCHS Alumni: Where Are They Now? Colin Stimmler

Colin Stimmler graduated Garden City High School (GCHS) in 1997. He then headed to Santa Clara University in California where he was an English major with a concentration in creative writing.

“I was going to write poetry and screen plays for a living. Plans changed,” Stimmler said.

Plans changed indeed, with the influence of his parents and direction from Doug Sheer, an AP American history teacher at GCHS, now retired.

“My dad was a Jesuit volunteer in Chile in his twenties. Both he and my mom … had very successful careers helping others. They never defined success by how much money they made, but by what they achieved and the lives they impacted … They both remain the two people I look up to the most in this world,” Stimmler remarked.

“Mr. Sheer was one of the first people I met who had done the Peace Corps … I wanted to do something big, something different with my life. The Peace Corps had always been in my mind,” Stimmler added.

After he graduated college in 2001, Stimmler was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepalgunj, Nepal, bordering India. He was an English teacher for fourth and fifth graders at a small government school. The students were divided, with half “regular kids” and the other half the “slave kids.” The second group came from small villages surrounding Nepalgunj and had to live in town in order to go to school. They became servants for the host families and in return, they gave the children a place to live, food to eat and some school supplies. But some children weren’t treated well.

“My best students were always either ‘slave kids’ or kids whose family was somehow enduring a tragedy, like losing a father … They valued their education because for them it was their only option of improving their lot … The thing I am most proud of during my two years as a Peace Corps volunteer is when one of my best students, Anita told me she was thinking about returning to her village rather than stay another year with her host family. They were mean to her, and didn't encourage her in school, despite her being one of the smartest in her class. They kept asking her ‘why bother,’ I think, because they resented having to spend the tiny amount of money it took to buy Anita her school uniform, books and pencils. And there was no school back in her home village, so if she wanted to continue her education past the fifth grade, something would need to change.

“To keep her in school, I spoke with my principal, a Brahmin (highest caste in the Hindu hierarchy) and asked her to come with me to Anita's host family. My principal was a woman, something very rare in Nepal, and she really valued the power of education to improve young girls’ lives. As soon as we entered, Anita's host mother got down and kissed my principal's feet, a sign of respect to the higher caste. As soon as she started, my principal immediately had commitments to have Anita enrolled in middle school and to have her education prioritized. I did very little talking and was thrilled at how easy it had gone with the right person leading the effort. I basically manipulated the caste system, something that is technically illegal but in reality is a part of everyday life, to ensure one of the smartest girls I taught made it to the sixth grade,” Stimmler explained.

Stimmler conveyed that there are a lot of opportunities out there for Garden City young adults to do great things and he would highly recommend doing some sort of service trip, either local or international. He feels that he met wonderful people who shaped his world view, he lived in an amazing culture and enjoyed traveling. Yet, he only needed to try and help students who wanted to learn.

Zachary Pusch, a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, found Stimmler helped other volunteers too. When he was feeling lonely and unsure of himself, Stimmler came to visit during his vacation. He cheered Pusch up and reviewed teaching techniques.

“I can't say enough positive things about him. He was both a terrific volunteer and a great friend,” Pusch said.

Stimmler later received his Master's degree in international political economy and development from Fordham University and currently works for the New York City Department of Health working on emergency preparedness. He is married to Kristen Kern (GCHS ’98) and they have a daughter, Eloise. He is the son of Leo and Kathleen Stimmler.

(Editor's Note: 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps. Several Garden City High School graduates have been part of this government organization.)