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ASU offers new Peace Corps Prep program


September 25, 2015

Starting this fall, students at Arizona State University will be able to add the Peace Corps Prep program to the ways they can make a difference in the world.

ASU, Arizona’s top producer of Peace Corps volunteers, is adding the Peace Corps Prep alongside engineering, architecture, teaching and a host of other career paths for which the university helps train students through special programs that give them experience and mentoring in addition to class time and book smarts.

“We hope to attract students from a wide array of academic backgrounds to consider the Peace Corps after graduation, and this is a clear pathway for Sun Devils who desire to become globally engaged,” said Christian Ammon, Peace Corps coordinator for ASU.

The program invites students who are accepted to the program to build leadership skills, while taking courses focused on intercultural competence and foreign language.

Completing the program and obtaining the certificate helps participants prepare their resumes and discuss their service experience so a recruiter can appreciate their impact on an organization.

To receive a certificate, students must also complete at least 100 hours of community service related to their work sector of interest, such as education, health and community development.

Students may apply and be accepted at any time throughout the year, but orientation sessions only occur once per semester.  

The first step is submitting an expression of interest form electronically, then meeting with a Peace Corps Prep coordinator. They are available to help students as they build their curriculum and service plan, which is required to obtain the certificate.

Though completion of the program does not guarantee acceptance into the Peace Corps upon graduation, “the Peace Corps Prep program is designed to enhance the competitiveness of students applying to the Peace Corps,” said Ammon.

For more information about the Peace Corps Prep program, and to see what requirements are necessary to complete the program, visit https://eoss.asu.edu/pcprep