2018 National Teacher of the Year and returned Peace Corps volunteer Mandy Manning will headline UW-Madison’s upcoming Peace Corps week.
Manning will present a talk on Tuesday of the upcoming week titled “Teaching as a Means of Social Justice; Thinking Globally and Acting Locally.” The event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Wisconsin Idea Room of the Education Building from 6-7:30 p.m.
Manning teaches at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington. She served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Armenia from 1999 to 2001. Manning works with refugee and immigrant students and uses experimental projects to help students cope with trauma, celebrate their home countries and culture and learn about their new community according to the Council of State School Offices.
UW-Madison was ranked first out of large universities for 2017 and 2018 for its number of Peace Corp volunteers. Since 1961, 3,279 alumni from UW-Madison have joined the Peace Corps.
“Through Peace Corps, UW-Madison alumni expand the Wisconsin Idea to beyond the borders of the country,” said Kate Schachter, campus Peace Corp recruiter to UW-Madison. “We look forward to celebrating the spirit of service and volunteerism that campus recruits have brought to the Peace Corps for the past 58 years.”
Peace Corp week will run from Feb. 26 to March 2. The week will include events such as a Story Slam at 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Hotel Red. The story slam will feature returned volunteers sharing their experiences from their time with the Peace Corp.
The week will be capped on Saturday, March 2, with the 38th annual Freeze for Food 5K/10K. The event is put on by the Retired Peace Corp Volunteers with funds contributing to Madison’s Open Doors for Refugees.
Those interested in joining the Peace Corp are encouraged to attend walk-in advising in Bascom Hall on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, interested volunteers can learn how to submit their application at the Peace Corps Writing Workshop at 4 p.m. on Feb. 28 in 6171 Helen C. White Library.
