Pitt 15th in Peace Corps recruitment

The Peace Corps’ annual rankings of schools declared the University of Pittsburgh 15th for… The Peace Corps’ annual rankings of schools declared the University of Pittsburgh 15th for its number of alumni who become volunteers.

With 52 graduates serving in the Peace Corps, Pitt was the highest new entry on the list of top large universities and grabbed the number one spot in Pennsylvania.

“The rankings say something about what schools put an importance on service and volunteering,” Peace Corps Spokeswoman Tracy Waldman said.

The list includes schools from all across the country, with University of Washington ranked first and the only other university from this state, Pennsylvania State University, coming in right behind Pitt at 16th.

Pitt student Daron Christopher will be graduating with a degree in political science this spring and entering the Peace Corps in June.

With plans of working in government, Christopher hopes his service in the Peace Corps will give him valuable career experience. He also said he anticipates gaining a new worldly perspective.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m going to have a job after college that I really care about.”

Christopher will be going to Tanzania to be an HIV/AIDS educator after a 10-week training period this summer. He then has a two-year commitment of service.

HIV/AIDS education is one of the main goals of the Peace Corps, but its field of work includes everything from teaching English and business development to environmental protection. Volunteers go all over the world, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Islands and almost everywhere in between.

Waldman said the Peace Corps is looking for people with all kinds of skills and that there are so many places that need help for so many different reasons.

“It’s a fantastic experience for growing as an individual, and it’s also fantastic for a resume to show that you have that global perspective,” she said.

The benefits can include student loan deferment, fluency in another language and experience that would help one get into graduate school.

The Pitt students who took this opportunity total to 536 since the Peace Corps’ beginning in 1961.

But the benefits come with a price.

Christopher said he will make sacrifices like not seeing his parents for a long period of time and missing out on his friends’ weddings.

He also went through a long application process after filling out the online form in March of 2006. He said there was an extensive amount of medical examinations.

“I think they do it to make sure you really want it,” he said.

Christopher’s entrance into the Peace Corps will add another Pitt graduate to next year’s rankings and he’s ready for it.

“I’m really excited to start,” he said.