2026 Peace Corps Week: Returned volunteer and UH Hilo alum Artem Sergeyev shares his joyful learning experience in Macedonia
“Every (Peace Corps) volunteer I’ve spoken to agrees that we took away more than we contributed. Not by choice, but because of the immense love and support we experienced.” — Artem Sergeyev.
This story is by University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Professor of Political Science Su-Mi Lee as part of a series of stories to be published here at UH Hilo Stories this week celebrating 2026 Peace Corps Week, March 2-6, each day featuring a returned Peace Corps volunteer and new theme. Professor Lee’s research activity includes a years-long project documenting returned volunteers who have ties to UH Hilo and/or Hawaiʻi Island that includes written biographies as well as video and audio interviews.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer: Artem Sergeyev
Macedonia: Sept, 23, 2018 – March 16th, 2020
Today’s Theme: Why We Serve
For Artem Sergeyev, the Peace Corps began as a practical step toward a future career. When he applied during his junior year at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, his motivations were clear and strategic: he was looking for a “CV booster” and a path to fund his future Master’s and PhD programs. As a son of the Ukrainian diaspora, he originally hoped to serve in his birthplace. However, due to the war with Russia, he was redirected to North Macedonia — a turn of events that began as a disappointment but became, in his words, a “blessing in disguise.”
As a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) volunteer, Artem’s primary role involved instructing 2nd- through 9th-grade students. However, he quickly learned that in the Peace Corps, the “work” doesn’t end when the school bell rings. As Artem puts it, “Peace Corps is what you make it.” He soon discovered that his impact was dictated by his own creativity and networking. Outside of the classroom, he found himself teaching English to government officials, police officers, and border patrol agents, while also dedicating his time to two local youth centers.
His daily life was defined by the local “culture of coffee.” Living with a host family — a factory worker and a truck driver who treated him as their own — he learned that the best way to serve was simply to say “yes” to every invitation. Whether in local cafés or at his host family’s kitchen table, these constant conversations over Turkish coffee transformed him. Over time, these sessions shifted from English to Macedonian. This linguistic immersion allowed him to move from a curious outsider to an expressive, integrated member of the community.
One of the most vivid markers of his service was this exchange of cultures. During the school year, Artem coached students for English spelling bee competitions and organized field trips. In the summer, he ran camps where Macedonian students played basketball and ultimate frisbee, created paper-mâché art, and learned songs from around the world. In a moving moment of connection, his fiancé even flew from Hawaiʻi to the Balkan village to teach the students hula and share Hawaiian culture.
By the six-month mark, Artem’s integration was complete. He could no longer walk through the town square without being stopped by parents or students eager to say hello. It was a “warming experience” that proved his presence provided the community with something out of the ordinary — a year and a half of shared joy and mutual learning.
Though his service was abruptly cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic evacuation, the “why” behind his journey remains clear. He didn’t just gain a line on a resume; he gained an entirely new family and a lifelong connection to Balkan history and culture. “Every volunteer I’ve spoken to agrees that we took away more than we contributed,” he reflects. “Not by choice, but because of the immense love and support we experienced.”
Today, back in Hawaiʻi, Artem serves on the Board of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) of Hawaiʻi, helping a community of over 400 former volunteers stay connected. His message to current UH Hilo juniors and seniors is urgent: “Don’t wait. Go to the website, scroll through the programs, and sign up.” The two years of service may fly by, but the international community of support you join lasts a lifetime. Artem is already planning his return to North Macedonia, proving that while a volunteer’s term eventually ends, the connection to the people they served never truly does.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Project
This week’s stories on returned Peace Corps volunteers is part of a larger project headed by Su-Mi Lee, a professor of political science, who along with her poli-sci students and members of the local community for years have been collecting biographical stories of returned volunteers who have ties to Hawaiʻi Island. Learn more about Prof. Lee’s Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Project (2023), and see more stories about it.
