William and Mary Ranks Among the Top Producers of Peace Corps Volunteers
BY SYLVIA CORNELIUSSEN
William and Mary Alumni Magazine | Spring/Summer 2006, Vol. 71, No. 3/4
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| Katie Leach-Kemon '04 (center) stands with the people she serves in Niger. |
On Oct. 14, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy, campaigning for the presidency, made a speech to students at the University of Michigan, challenging them to devote two years of their lives to helping people around the globe.
"How many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the foreign service and spend your lives traveling around the world?" Kennedy asked. "On your willingness to do that, not merely to serve one year or two years in the service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country, I think will depend the answer whether a free society can compete."
In the four and a half decades since Kennedy's speech, thousands upon thousands of college graduates have traveled worldwide in response to his call to promote world peace and friendship. Peace Corps volunteers sign on for two years of service in foreign countries to do what has been affectionately -- and, more than likely, honestly -- termed "the toughest job you'll ever love."
Since the Peace Corps' inception in 1961, shortly after Kennedy was inaugurated, a total of 452 of those volunteers have been graduates of the College of William and Mary. According to the Peace Corps, William and Mary consistently ranks high among colleges and universities producing Peace Corps volunteers. Statistics released earlier this year place the College 10th among all medium-sized colleges and universities (those with 5,001-15,000 undergraduates).
Given William and Mary's reputation for community service, these numbers are not surprising.
"The students I work with [at William and Mary] often develop a deep commitment to service," says Drew Stelljes, coordinator of student volunteer services. "Through service, students begin to grasp a larger, more complex understanding of social issues and often are motivated by injustices they witness in the service setting."
According to Stelljes, a spring 2006 survey showed that 75 percent of current William and Mary students volunteer regularly. The Office of Student Volunteer Services (OSVS) partners with 90 nonprofit agencies and schools, offering opportunities ranging from tutoring to service trips in the United States and abroad.
Community service is so important to William and Mary students, in fact, that friendly competition even develops over opportunities. In January, for example, when OSVS opened registration for three spring break service trips, the 35 available spots filled up in 10 minutes.
Kelsey Holden '06, who graduated May 14, will soon be among those William and Mary alumni with Peace Corps ties. Although she had not yet received her assignment at press time, she has been nominated to teach English in Asia.
"I think William and Mary has a number of opportunities that communicate to students that service is important," says Holden, who participated in many activities, including College Partnership for Kids, Service Leaders Corps and the Red Cross. "There are so many ways to get involved that it's hard not to."
Andrew Contreras, a Peace Corps regional recruiter, looks for a number of characteristics in potential volunteers, although he says there is no specific formula for choosing among the approximately 12,000 applications received each year. He does, however, like it when he sees an applicant demonstrate excitement for the opportunity -- something he frequently sees in William and Mary students, who make up the bulk of his applicants.
"William and Mary students have a lot of outreach experience," Contreras explains. "And they are very passionate."
Contreras has also picked up on the academic abilities of William and Mary students. While he emphasizes that grade point average and major are not deciding factors, he is impressed with how William and Mary challenges students to think critically and intelligently about the world they live in.
William and Mary graduates who have served in the Peace Corps agree that the academic side of their alma mater made a significant difference in their service.
"Being a student at William and Mary stretches you," notes Peter Bradley '64, who taught English in Iran as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1965 to 1967. "They don't settle. You've got to work. That prepares you for life. It prepared me to face things I couldn't even imagine."
A look at those who have served ...
Peter Bradley '64 | Lane Ellis '70 | Lydia Dambekalns '81
Tiffany Churukian Coke '98 | Matt Koltermann '02 | Katie Leach-Kemon '04
Editor's Note: As it is impossible to profile all 452 William and Mary graduates who have served in the Peace Corps, the Alumni Magazine editorial staff selected the previous individuals as a sample of the many experiences.
