BUILDING BRIDGES
By Chris Wadsworth
It was definitely not a situation Alex Lowe ever expected to find himself in – more than 6,000 miles away from his home in Ashburn, standing in front of 200 people in a remote Central Asian village and singing in the Kyrgyz language.
But that’s just one of dozens – even hundreds – of unique moments Lowe has experienced since entering the Peace Corps a little over a year ago.
“I’m sure I looked like my terrified 5-year-old self on the first day of kindergarten,” Lowe said. “I am not a good singer. I don’t like to sing. Yet I have sung more in Kyrgyz in this past year than I have in English in my entire life.”
The Peace Corps was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The agency sends volunteers to developing countries to work in fields such as education, health and entrepreneurship.
Lowe, 23, grew up in Ashburn with his mom, Leena, his dad, Thad, and his twin brother, Kyle. He graduated from Briar Woods High School in 2019 and earned a bachelor’s degree in biological systems engineering from Virginia Tech in 2023.
Like most Americans, Lowe had heard of the Peace Corps and always thought it sounded kind of cool, but it wasn’t until his senior year that he started considering it seriously. He was presented with an opportunity to teach English in Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country of roughly 7 million people nestled against the western border of China in Central Asia.
It’s no small thing. Serving in the Peace Corps is usually a two-year commitment far from family and friends. Lowe received his invitation to serve via email and spent the next 72 hours waffling back and forth, struggling with his decision.
“In the end, I noticed that all of the reasons preventing me from saying yes were based in fear,” he said. “I was scared to miss my family and friends. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to adapt to my new country. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to make an impact. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to make a community of friends and make Kyrgyzstan feel like home. Once I realized this, my decision became clear. I did not want to make my decision because of fear. I clicked yes on the invitation and haven’t looked back since.”
In the summer of 2023, Lowe flew to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, for 2½ months of culture and language training. His assignment turned out to be in a tiny hamlet in the Ak-Talaa region – far from the capital and one of the most isolated regions.
Lowe’s primary assignment in his new home was as an English teacher. On a typical day, his duties are probably not that different from those of his teachers at Briar Woods. He holds a few classes with local students, leads several English language clubs and then spends a couple of hours lesson planning and designing materials for his students.
“Seeing my students’ English progress over the last year has been incredibly rewarding,” Lowe said. “Recently, some of my older students got the chance to meet one of my volunteer friends. Seeing them talk with her, ask questions and have a long conversation in English made me really happy.”
Despite the success and the many new friends he has made, Lowe admits he misses his family and friends back in the United States.
“Being away from everything that was a part of my life before the Peace Corps for so long – and knowing that when I return, we will be different people at different points in our lives is challenging,” he said. “The relationships I have back home are forever changed, which scares me.”
It hasn’t been a walk in the park for Lowe’s family either.
“In the beginning, when he told us he was interested in the Peace Corps, I definitely saw it as a possibility, but it wasn’t a sure thing,” said Alex’s mom, Leena Lowe. “But when he got chosen… I hit the panic button. I was worried about his safety.”
Lowe did research, spoke to a friend from the State Department and soon felt comfortable that Kyrgyzstan is actually a safe country with a growing tourism industry.
Despite her initial worries, she also says the family is extremely proud of Alex.
“My immediate feeling was incredible pride that my son wanted to live this life of service and building bridges,” she said.
Alex Lowe still has almost a full year to go in Kyrgyzstan. His commitment is scheduled to run until August 2025. After that, he readily admits he’s not sure what comes next.
“What I do know is that my experience in the Peace Corps will make me chase a career that is in service to others, both people and the planet we call home,” he said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to come from a place with the resources that allow me to use my time to give back to others. So that is what I intend to do.”
And if some future opportunity involves stepping outside his comfort zone and – for example, singing in front of a crowd in a foreign language – Lowe knows he’s ready.
“There will be times where you do things that you never do back home, and times where you completely embarrass yourself. Many, many times,” Lowe said. “And I think that is amazing. If you are not putting yourself out there, making a fool of yourself, and having fun along the way, then you are probably not making the most out of your time in the Peace Corps.”