URI 21st in Peace Corps volunteers

C.J. SANCHEZ, a 2013 University of Rhode Island graduate, serves as an environmental educator in Nicaragua. / COURTESY PEACE CORPS
C.J. SANCHEZ, a 2013 University of Rhode Island graduate, serves as an environmental educator in Nicaragua. / COURTESY PEACE CORPS

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island ranked 21st among medium-sized schools on the Peace Corps’ 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list, with 15 undergraduate alumni currently serving worldwide.
URI rose four spots from last year’s rank, according to the Peace Corps.
URI also is the only Rhode Island college or university listed in any of the Peace Corps top 25 lists in any category.
URI last year launched the undergraduate certificate program known as Peace Corps Prep, which allows undergraduate students to combine targeted coursework with hands-on experience. The program prepares students to become competitive Peace Corps applicants and international development professionals.

“Peace Corps service is an unparalleled leadership opportunity that enables college and university alumni to use the creative-thinking skills they developed in school to make an impact in communities around the world,” Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley said in a statement. “Many college graduates view Peace Corps as a launching pad for their careers because volunteers return home with the cultural competency and entrepreneurial spirit sought after in most fields.”

A total of 425 URI alumni have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961.

C.J. Sanchez, who graduated from URI in 2013 with a degree in wildlife and conservation biology, serves as an environmental educator in Nicaragua.
“My college experience at the University of Rhode Island really shaped a lot of my personality and sense of adventure,” Sanchez said.
Rhode Island also ranked eighth nationwide for its number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita, with 41 Rhode Islanders currently serving. Vermont ranked first per capita with 52 volunteers.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. American University in Washington, D.C., topped the medium colleges and universities list, with 54 undergraduate alumni volunteers currently serving.
Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year data as of Sept. 30 as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.

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