Continuing a longstanding tradition as a top provider of volunteers, the Peace Corps announced this week that Lewis & Clark ranked 16th among small schools on the agency’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list, up 9 spots from 2016. There are 11 Pioneers currently volunteering worldwide, and a total of 393 alumni have served in the Peace Corps since its founding in 1961.
The legacy of collaboration and learning highlights the commitment of those who have studied at Lewis & Clark to serving communities around the world. The college’s message of international cooperation, which emphasizes student engagement and cultural literacy, has remained a constant influence on students’ decisions to serve abroad. Peace Corps volunteers serve in 77 countries, and their work often involves specific community engagement, requiring volunteers to learn new languages and adjust to entirely different ways of day-to-day living.
Ian Blair BA ’15 (religious studies) serves as an education volunteer in Ukraine, where he teaches elementary and secondary English.
The college helped me to become more open-minded, which has been crucial to surviving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia.Nora Sears BA ’15
“As a Russian minor, I had the ultimate privilege to study overseas in Vladivostok, Russia,” Blair said. “It was the first time I lived outside of the U.S. and in a place where English is rarely spoken, so I had to adapt quickly. Had not Lewis & Clark offered the ability to study abroad with all credits accepted in a place as unique as Vladivostok, I definitely wouldn’t have been as prepared for the Peace Corps.”
For over 50 years, Lewis & Clark has offered students opportunities to immerse themselves in cultures around the world through its highly regarded overseas programs, which approximately 60 percent of students participate in and travel to over 30 countries, including Vietnam, India, and Eastern Africa.
Nora Sears BA ’15 (psychology) serves as an education volunteer in Mongolia and teaches English at a secondary school.
“Studying at Lewis & Clark helped me to develop my sense of self and point of view, and shaped how I think about people who are different from me,” Sears said. “The college helped me to become more open-minded, which has been crucial to surviving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia.”
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.
Academic Awards & Fellowships
Overseas and Off-Campus Programs
Psychology
Religious Studies
