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AU AMONG TOP SOUTHEAST SCHOOLS IN PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS
AUBURN -- Only three schools in the Southeast rank ahead of Auburn University in the number of alumni currently working throughout the world as Peace Corps volunteers.
Auburn has 21 alumni or current students in Peace Corps service, ranking behind only the University of Florida, The University of Georgia and Florida State University among Southeastern colleges and universities.
"I want to congratulate the incredible students coming to us from schools throughout the Southeast for their dedication and important work as Peace Corps volunteers," said John Eaves, Peace Corps' Southeast regional manager. "Peace Corps and these fine institutions are shaping these individuals for leadership positions and future success in their fields.
"We'd like to strengthen these partnerships with schools and communities during this exciting time as we expand to having 10,000 volunteers overseas in the next few years."
Auburn alumni who have served Peace Corps stints aren't surprised that AU would send more than its share of volunteers abroad.
Adelita Hinjosa, who received her bachelor's degree in international trade from AU in 1991 and her master's in Hispanic studies in 1996, says her experiences as a student showed qualities across the campus that lend themselves to Peace Corps service.
"There's an openness and a friendliness at Auburn, a sense of caring that is essential for anyone who is to succeed in the Peace Corps," said Hinjosa, a New Orleans native who did a Peace Corps stint in the Dominican Republic and now works as in international services for Total Systems Services in Columbus, Ga. "In my time there, students were always willing to do what they could for other people and that's what Peace Corps is all about."
"When I went to Auburn, it had the feel of a small school," said Jay Harrison, who graduated in engineering from AU in 1984, worked for Peace Corps in Ecuador and is now an engineer in Franklin, Tenn. "It's an intimate campus and the people were friendly so that I never felt like I was lost there. I met the same kind of people in Peace Corps. So, yeah, I think Auburn and Peace Corps are sort of a natural match."
Peace Corps, founded in 1961, places skilled U.S. citizens in developing countries for 27-month assignments. Volunteers gain international experience with all expenses paid, free language and cross-cultural training, complete medical and dental coverage, possible student loan deferment, graduate school opportunities, and a $6,075 relocation allowance after a two-year tour.
Today, more than 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 78 countries around the world, working to fight hunger, prevent the spread of AIDS, protect the environment, teach children, promote health and nutrition, and start small businesses. Since 1961, more than 155,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.
For more information about the Peace Corps, call 800/424-8580, option 1.
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CONTACT: Ann Parelli, Peace Corps Public Affairs Specialist, 404-562-3472; Hinjosa, 706-653-0671; and Harrison, 615-591-4439.