UT Austin Ranked 25 Among Top Volunteer-Producing Universities
- Feb 28, 2017
DALLAS – Today, the Peace Corps announced that the University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 25 among large schools on the agency’s 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 36 Longhorns currently volunteering worldwide.
In 2016, UT Austin was unranked.
“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. “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.”
Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, 1,803 alumni from UT Austin have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers. In 2016, the state of Texas ranked No. 8 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers.
Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining, hands-on experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to a community overseas and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
Angell Kim graduated from UT Austin in 2014 with a degree in international relations and global studies and a minor in Latin American studies. She credits UT Austin with giving her the tools and skills to serve in the Peace Corps.
“My involvement in the university chapter of Rotary International, the Rotary Club at UT Austin, fostered my interest in the Peace Corps,” Kim said. “My Peace Corps recruiter helped me get a real and genuine perspective of the Peace Corps, which motivated me to apply.”
As an education volunteer in Colombia, Kim introduces teachers to new methodologies and management strategies to improve instruction in their classrooms. She also teaches an English class for local tour guides and students.
This year’s rankings follow the launch of a refreshed brand platform that underscores the agency’s commitment to putting the user experience first and makes the Peace Corps more accessible to audiences through the platforms they already use. A simple and personal 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. Below, find the top five schools in each category and the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. View the complete 2017 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.
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, Volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 225,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
