San Diego State was recently named one of the Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges by the Peace Corps.
With 32 alumni volunteering with the Peace Corps worldwide, SDSU tied with UC Santa Cruz for 24th on the list of large volunteer-producing colleges. The list included all universities with a population of more than 15,000.
Other lists included universities with a medium population of 5,000 to 15,000 and small colleges with less than 5,000 students.
Rankings by the agency are determined by the number of volunteers who attended the university before joining the Peace Corps.
SDSU alumna Jaclyn Stecker volunteers teaching English in Costa Rica, and said she explored different possibilities in volunteering, including trying to start her own nonprofit in San Diego.
She found her desire for international service after she took a volunteer job in India.
“The Peace Corps offered a more stable and structured, long-term opportunity for the types of changes I longed to make in this world,” she said.
The Peace Corps also ranked SDSU as No. 5 among the top volunteer-producing Hispanic Serving Institutions.
“The Peace Corps is a unique opportunity for college graduates to put their education into practice and become agents of change in communities around the world,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said.
Other San Diego schools also made the cut. UC San Diego was ranked 14th on the list of large colleges and universities, and University of San Diego was ranked 14th on the list of medium schools.
The next Peace Corps information session will take place on March 10 in Montezuma Hall.
