February 21, 2018
UW among Peace Corps’ 2018 top volunteer-producing colleges & universities
The Peace Corps today announced that University of Washington ranked No. 2 among large schools on the agency’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 74 UW alumni currently volunteering worldwide.
The Huskies lead a pack of six Washington schools on this year’s list. UW has ranked among the top three large schools for 14 consecutive years, and 3,027 Huskies have served in the Peace Corps since the agency was founded in 1961.
“Peace Corps service is a profound expression of the idealism and civic engagement that colleges and universities across the country inspire in their alumni,” said Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley. “As Peace Corps volunteers, recent college and university graduates foster capacity and self-reliance at the grassroots level, making an impact in communities around the world. When they return to the United States, they have new, highly sought-after skills and an enterprising spirit that further leverages their education and strengthens their communities back home.” Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding. In 2017, Washington ranked No. 7 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers, and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area ranked No. 6 among all metro areas.
Hannah Smith, UW alumna, is currently serving as a Peace Corps health volunteer in Senegal, where she works with her community on nutrition projects.
“UW encourages students to go into their local community and outside of it to better understand our world, its problems, and how we can solve them,” said Smith. “I have always wanted to explore the world and help people improve their health.”
A simple Peace Corps application process can be completed online in about one hour. Applicants can learn more about service opportunities by assignment area, country and departure date by visiting the Peace Corps website and connecting with a recruiter.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here, and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.
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For more information, contact Stephanie Klees, sklees@peacecorps.gov or 206-227-7973.
Tag(s): Peace Corps • University of Washington
