CU Boulder has been among the top 25 schools producing volunteers since 2003. In all, 2,589 CU Boulder alumni have served abroad as Peace Corps volunteers since the agency鈥檚 founding in 1961.
CU Boulder has a long history of exceptional Peace Corps service, and for Pamela Civins, CU Boulder鈥檚 campus Peace Corps recruiter, the fit is a natural one.
鈥淐U Boulder is known for its leadership development, and the Peace Corps offers a great opportunity to further develop those skills, while being exposed to another culture,鈥� said Civins, who is a CU Boulder alumna and returned听Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. 鈥淔or me, the Peace Corps was also a great opportunity to positively impact people鈥檚 lives in my community. They impacted my life in a profound way too.鈥�
听Top 5 schools
- University of California, Berkeley (3,763)
- University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison (3,402)
- University of Washington (3,132)
- University of Michigan鈥揂nn Arbor (2,803)
- University of Colorado Boulder (2,589)
In March of 2020, the Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The evacuation included 50 CU Boulder alumni. After a hiatus during pandemic, the听Peace Corps听resumed accepting volunteers for service opportunities in 59 countries, and 11 CU Boulder alumni were among the first wave of Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service.
Additionally, in 2020, the state of Colorado ranked No. 13 among all states and territories with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers since 1961. Volunteers from Colorado are among the more than 240,000 Americans who have served around the world in areas such as agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth development volunteers.
鈥淒emand for Peace Corps volunteers is high given setbacks in development progress following the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent call to action, and graduates of University of Colorado Boulder are part of a strong tradition of big-hearted problem-solvers who have stepped up to say, 鈥榗ount me in,鈥欌�� said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn.
About the Peace Corps
President John F. Kennedy established the in 1961, and more than 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries worldwide. Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members across the globe on projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.听
Interested in joining the Peace Corps?
CU Boulder is one of nearly 150 schools across the country that offers听Peace Corps Prep, a partnership program dedicated to preparing undergraduates for service abroad. The program in the听 office offers undergraduate students job skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence and leadership development to prepare for Peace Corps service.
CU Boulder also has a part-time Peace Corps Strategic Campus recruiter in the UMC, Room 122. Set up a meeting听or learn more about hosting an information session, by contacting Pamela Civins. She works part-time, and you can visit her in the UMC, Room 122 or email听peacecorps@colorado.edu.
CU Boulder Peace Corps volunteer spotlight
Pamela Civins听graduated from CU Boulder with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in English literature in 1986 and served in the Peace Corps 1991鈥�93.
Service: Nepal, 1991鈥�93, as an educator
Favorite part: Going to a place that I never thought I would have an opportunity to go to. I also made relationships that are priceless and long lasting.
Take away: I was put in a place that made me uncomfortable sometimes. This ended up allowing me to get to know myself better.
Positive impact:听I听don鈥檛 know that I changed anyone鈥檚 life, but I know that I positively impacted people鈥檚 lives. I also know that I was positively impacted by my experience, and that serving in the Peace Corps was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
Life-long friends: There are some experiences that you have where you鈥檙e put in a situation and you become friends with folks that you never thought you might become friends with. And that was my Peace Corps experience.听
Biggest surprise: For me, it was the heat. When most people think of Nepal, they think of the Himalayas听or Mt. Everest. But I lived in the Terai region, where it gets really hot.
