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NORTH ATTLEBORO - Inspired by her father's stories of his time as a Peace Corps volunteer, a North Attleboro woman will spend the next two years in Peru as a volunteer, herself.

Shannon Doran, 22, a graduate of Bishop Feehan High School and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in international health, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and left last month for her two-year assignment in Peru.

Doran is the daughter of Anne and David Doran and is a Peace Corps legacy. Her father served in the Dominican Republic from 1979 to 1981.

Growing up, Shannon said she often heard her father's stories, which inspired her to apply to the Peace Corps.

"That was kind of at the back of my mind. I've heard so many stories about his time in the Dominican Republic," she said. "I've wanted to be a Peace Corps volunteer since I was in middle school and did a report on my dad's Peace Corps country." Doran will begin pre-service training as a community health development volunteer. Upon graduation from volunteer training in December, she will train community workers, promote health, nutrition and hygiene, and create sustainable health programs.

"My job will be working as a community health promoter, but I don't know exactly what I'll be doing yet. The job can be a variety of things from maternal and child health to water and hygiene to nutrition and gardening," she said. "After I go through three months of training, they'll send me to the site and I'll learn more."

During the first three months of her service, Doran will live with a host family in Peru to become fully immersed in the country's language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist her community, Doran will live in Peru for two years in a manner similar to people in her host country.

To prepare for her assignment, Doran said she has been reading everything she can get her hands on about Peru.

"I've been reading lots of books - books by Peace Corps volunteers, 'Lonely Planet' guides, and I even watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations,'" she said. "I learned they eat guinea pig in Peru and have more than 3,500 different kinds of potatoes."

This is not Doran's first trip abroad. She previously worked in Chiapas, Mexico, conducting a research project on trachoma in indigenous populations.

Doran said she is excited about the Peace Corps experience, which she hopes will help influence her decisions about her future career.

"I'm hoping to come home with more direction for what I want to do. I'm not sure if I want to get a degree as a medical professional or work in public health."