Ms. Deanna Evans a graduate of Arizona Project ChalleNGe Class 18 and a 2007 Arizona State University graduate is now serving the world as a member of the Peace Corps. This life long dream has now come true. Deanna recently completed training and is now serving in Kyrgyztan. This former Soviet Bloc nation of over 5 million people is located in Central Asia.

 Deanna is teaching 8^th and 9^th graders English. In addition, she has started an English Club to strengthen the English development of her students. In her blog she indicates that this club is well received and that learning is taking place with her students. Deanna further writes that her Host Mother is exactly the same age as her (25) and speaks excellent English which allows them to communicate freely on the cultural differences.

 Deanna further alludes that the clothes made in China do not last very long. Usually only one or two wears and then they start shredding. One consolation is they are cheap. Winter is about to set in so naturally she is concerned about her warmth and whether the local clothes will suffice to get her through the long extremely cold winter season.

  Those who knew Deanna when she came to Project ChalleNGe saw a confused young girl with no direction, control and on her last leg. However, she left a focused young woman with goals in mind. She achieved those goals. Deanna took full advantage of the scholarships offered by the Project ChalleNGe Foundation, using the Merrill-Lynch Scholarships to the fullest extent graduating from the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at ASU. Deanna’s success was one of the major stories highlighted in the 2008 Merrill-Lynch Prospectus. Deanna’s success in life is just one more story that tells the world this program works and works successfully in turning around young men and women’s lives.