Peace Corps honors IU volunteers

The Peace Corps ranked IU in its Top 25 Colleges list for volunteers with 35 alumni volunteers from 2013, putting IU in 25th place.

The last time IU appeared on the list was during the 2011-12 year. Since the Peace Corps agency was created in 1961, 1,603 IU graduates have served.

“I hope IU can grow more and larger,” Damon Smith, President of the IU Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Group, said. “It’s great we’re back in the Top 25, but being 25th is not where IU wants to be.”

Jessica Mayle, public affairs coordinator for the Midwest Peace Corps, said they create the list to recognize schools who foster a belief in community service.

“We hope the list encourages more students to apply,” Mayle said. “It creates a culture of service on campus and helps students identify with alumni who have served.”

The new IU recruiter, Laura Fonseca, is one of the reasons IU has reached the top 25 again, Mayle said.

“It’s been great to return to my alma mater and reach out to students that I relate to in many ways,” Fonseca said. “Seeing IU back on the top 25 schools is a great representation of the Hoosier commitment to international outreach.”

IU brings the Peace Corps great volunteers, Mayle said.

“What we see at IU is an international global perspective,” Mayle said. “It’s a value the school tries to instill as well as to making a difference. That commitment to service and a global perspective makes great Peace Corps applicants.”

IU also has special programs to benefit Peace Corps volunteers. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs offers returned Peace Corps volunteers financial aid and academic benefits for their service.

One of the programs SPEA offers is called the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, which offers financial assistance to those who want to continue their community service back at school.

SPEA, as well as the School of Education, also offer the Master’s International program, which allows students to earn graduate school credit while volunteering in-country.

“All of these programs are fantastic academic opportunities and draw in individuals who have or will serve in the Peace Corps,” Fonseca said.

Fonseca is planning a recruitment event on campus for 5 p.m. March 26 at the Career Development Center for any student who is interested in hearing from past volunteers.

Smith said he believes the time he spent in Ukraine with the Peace Corps was one of the most valuable things he has ever done and said he still thinks about it every day.

Not only did the experience make him more competitive for graduate schools by giving him international experience and skills in language, he said, but it also helped him personally develop.

“Most would say they got much more out of their service than they can ever provide to the people they are serving in their country,” Smith said. “It was a big part of my life and the best thing I could have done after college.”