Congressman Mike Honda served in the Peace Corps between the years 1965 and 1967 in El Salvador. He currently represents the 15th Congressional District of California. Congressman Honda is looking forward to participating in the Peace Corps program in this year’s Festival. “My time in El Salvador as a Peace Corp Volunteer taught me so much,” he comments. “I went into the Corps as a college student one credit shy of graduation and with little direction; I emerged with the confidence that my emotional, psychological, and physical limits had been pushed, plied, and ultimately surpassed. I emerged determined to do something about the pervasive poverty surrounding me. The Peace Corps got me back to the basics, and I realized that every day is a gift to be used wisely.”

Congressman Honda will participate in a Peace Corps program panel discussion, “The Peace Corps’ Inspiration,” on Monday July 4th at 5pm.

Van Luong is the festival blogger for the 2011 Folklife Festival.