Baylor University Among Peace Corps’ 2020 Top Volunteer-producing Schools
Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (Feb. 27, 2020) – Baylor University has been ranked on the Peace Corps’ list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2020, coming in at No. 21 among medium-sized schools. Currently, 17 Baylor alumni are serving as Peace Corps volunteers in countries around the world.
“These schools are institutions that emphasize being global citizens and service-minded students,” Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen said. “I am excited to know the graduates coming from Peace Corps’ Top Colleges are using their skills to make a positive impact on their communities at home and abroad.”
Since the agency’s founding in 1961, around 215 Baylor alumni have served abroad as Peace Corps volunteers.
Baylor alumnus Preston Anderson, BBA (Entrepreneurship/Finance) ’16, is serving with Peace Corps as a community economic development volunteer in Peru. Baylor’s service-minded culture has been instrumental to his Peace Corps service, Anderson said.
“Baylor has a huge service-oriented culture and inspires its students to actively seek opportunities to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to communities in need at home and abroad. With a Baylor business degree in finance and social entrepreneurship under my belt, I have been able to confidently facilitate entrepreneurship and financial education classes in the Northern Andes of Peru with Peace Corps,” Anderson said. “I can safely affirm I owe much of my Peace Corps service to the guidance of faculty and staff members who encouraged me to take my Baylor education beyond borders.”
Anderson joins the 368 Texans currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 8,174 Texans have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
Baylor alumna Kaylon Emeary, BS (Neuroscience) ’13, served for more than two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Samaná peninsula of the Dominican Republic, noting that her varied experiences at Baylor provided a path to serving abroad.
“During my time at Baylor University, I studied neuroscience with a minor in Spanish, participated in the Hispanic Families in Transition Engaged Learning Group, received both the Benjamin A. Gilman International and Glennis McCrary Goodrich scholarships to do a semester abroad in Argentina (my first time to live abroad) and spent many evenings chowing down at International Dinner at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center,” Emeary said.
But during her senior year, it was an elective class – Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) taught by School of Education Professor Richard Strot – that provided her with the inspiration to join Peace Corps.
“I was inspired by the stories Professor Strot shared about his service [as a Peace Corps volunteer] in Colombia,” Emeary said. “Little did I know that those experiences of learning Spanish, teaching English to native Spanish speakers, taking my first ever flight and living with host families and rubbing elbows while sharing meals with students from around the world would plant a seed in me to do international development in the education sector as a Peace Corps volunteer.”
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. The complete 2020 rankings of Peace Corps top 25 schools in each category are available on the Peace Corps website at www.Peacecorps.gov/news.
*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2019 data as of September 30, 2019, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.
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, community economic development, agriculture, the 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 240,000 Americans of all ages have served in 142 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.Peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.