Community Service and Teaching to Business

What would be a good way to word "wanted a way to give back" in an interview/cover letter/networking call?

I am doing a program similar to Teach for America/AmeriCorps (but internationally, with way less, if any, prestige). Whenever I do networking calls, I try to slip in the fact that I was accepted to TFA (yes, I realize this is a douchebag, only worried about prestige move), as a way to show I have the respectable pedigree.

So far I have "I studied finance in college, but I was looking for a way to give back after school, I originally was offered a spot on the south side of Chicago with Teach for America, and was all ready to accept the offer, but after X (significant international event which garnered a lot of sympathy for the region and that I have a family history with (like the Haiti earthquake)) I decided to go to country Y and give back over there."

To me, this sounds a little awkward, because when used in normal conversation you usually say "give back to the community" but in this case, community is pretty broad (America in the TFA case, the country I'm in for the path I ended up taking). I should add that I didn't directly volunteer directly in the area affected by the event. Anybody have a good way to phrase this?

SBs for any help.

Thanks!