With 87 UW-Madison graduates currently volunteering worldwide, UW-Madison ranks first among large schools on the Peace Corps 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list.
Since 1961, when the Peace Corps was founded, 3,239 alumni from UW-Madison have volunteered abroad. UW-Madison has produced the second-most amount of volunteers. This is the third year the university has been placed in the top five, according to a UW-Madison news release.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank noted the university’s partnership with the Peace Corps highlights the university’s proud tradition of public service.
“Not only do our graduates make meaningful contributions in communities around the world, they gain valuable knowledge and leadership skills that will remain with them for a lifetime. It is truly the Wisconsin Idea in action,” Blank said in the release.
Laura Linde, a 2014 UW-Madison graduate, is a current Peace Corps volunteer. She has taught science to school-aged children since 2015, and facilitates gender-focused camps for Peace Corps Nicaragua’s gender and development committee.
"I wouldn't be a Peace Corps volunteer if I would not have studied abroad during my time at UW-Madison, as that opportunity gave me the confidence and desire to continue living abroad and exploring other cultures,” Linde said.
