182 alumni have served around the world

Heather Moran ’96, far right, and students from the Achiase Secondary School in Ghana.

Connecticut College has reached the Peace Corps’ Top 25 list of volunteers produced among small schools, with 16 alumni currently serving as volunteers, primarily in Africa and Latin America . Since the Peace Corps’ inception 45 years ago, 182 CC alumni have joined its ranks, serving in such places as Nepal, Tanzania, Granada, Paraguay and Poland.

“Community involvement is an essential part of the teaching and learning process at Connecticut College,” said Tracee Reiser, interim dean of multicultural affairs, associate dean for community learning and associate director of the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy. “Our students work with local teachers to improve literacy levels, and they work with community-based, non-governmental organizations on other continents to expand access to health care. They leave Connecticut College well-prepared for the commitment and rigors of the Peace Corps.”

Katie Garcia Wolff ’65, center, with Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy in Tanzania.

Mariko Guziur ’99 served in Ghana, West Africa and literally weathered two years of service through the seasons, which changed dramatically from rainy to dry to windy climates. She launched a support group for people living with HIV and AIDS. The group recently celebrated its sixth anniversary.

Guziur wholeheartedly agrees that working for the Peace Corps is the “toughest job you’ll ever love.

“I almost threw in the towel so many times,” she said, “but it has been the most profound experience of my life.”

Every year the Peace Corps staff recognizes its volunteers and their alma maters by ranking them according to size. Among the other colleges with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates Dartmouth College took the top spot with 37 alumni serving as volunteers. The University of Virginia claimed the No. 1 spot among medium-sized school, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison was No. 1 among schools with more than 15,000 undergraduates.

Adding a new category this year, the Peace Corps has also tabulated rankings for volunteers with advanced degrees. CC has one alumnus with an advanced degree serving as a volunteer.

“The willingness of so many people to use their degrees and life experiences to share with other cultures is a commitment no one should overlook,” said Corps director Gaddi Vasquez. “There is no single path to success. But those who leave a legacy in a rural village in Madagascar or a city in Ukraine know the impact that Peace Corps can have not only in that community but also on the remainder of their own careers.”

To view the 2006 “Top Producing Colleges and Universities” list, go to www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2006.pdf.