UC San Diego Among
Peace Corps “Top Colleges”

January 14, 2009

By Pat JaCoby

Nemo Curiel, who received a math degree from UC San Diego in 2005, will begin service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya in late January. Sarah Termondt, who graduated in June ’08 with a degree in environmental systems, will begin Peace Corps work in the Dominican Republic in March.

Nemo Curiel

They’re among the 49 University of California, San Diego alumni currently serving overseas who have helped place the campus as 18th on the Peace Corps “Top Colleges” rankings among large universities.

Curiel began three months of training in Kenya in November and expects to officially swear in as an education Peace Corps volunteer later this month. He says he was attracted to the Peace Corps because of “the opportunity to live abroad and meet new people.”

Termondt, who spent most of her years at UCSD in green campus programs, will continue that sustainability emphasis as a community and environmental educator in the Dominican Republic, teaching activities she learned--such as solar cooking and organized gardening--at UC San Diego. She sees the Peace Corps as “providing a valuable experience to be part of another culture.”

“The Peace Corps ‘Top Colleges’ rankings are a friendly competition among many schools with a strong legacy of service,” said Ron Tschetter, Peace Corps director. “Currently there are more than 3,000 colleges and universities with alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in 76 countries worldwide.”

Sarah Termondt

UC San Diego now has alumni serving in 29 of the 76 countries where the Peace Corps works. The heaviest concentration of Tritons is in Guatemala, Honduras and Namibia. The majority of volunteers work in health and education.

UC San Diego alumni have a long tradition of giving back to the community through such programs as the Peace Corps, with more than 550 volunteers since 2002. The alumni play a vital role in solving real-world problems and improving the lives of people around the world through advanced healthcare, continuing education, and public programs, continuing the university’s tradition of local impact, national influence and global reach.

“California has always been a top producer of Peace Corps volunteers,” Tschetter said. “More Californians have served in the Peace Corps than any other state. Historically, UC Berkeley maintains the number one rank, with 3,371 graduates who have served as Peace Corps volunteers since 1961.”

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858 534-7404