As Fresno State prepares to celebrate its annual Diversity Awareness Week, April 22-27, the university was named seventh on the Peace Corps’ list of Top Volunteer-Producing Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the country. This year, 11 Fresno State alumni are serving overseas through Peace Corps service.
Chhun Sun, a recent graduate currently volunteering in Azerbaijan, says Fresno State’s diversity helped prepare him for Peace Corps service. “I got to meet many different people from all over the world at our campus, including international students. They opened up my world view and made me curious about life outside the United States,” Sun said. “I think that’s a big reason why I’m here [in Azerbaijan].”
Four other California State University campuses made the list, with Fullerton and Northridge ranking second and third respectively, Los Angeles sixth and San Bernadino ninth.
“I believe this is a reflection of what I know to be true about our university, we are a community committed to serving others,” said Fresno State President John D. Welty. “Service-learning and community service are part of our campus culture at Fresno State and clearly that is having an impact both in and out of the classroom. I am proud that our students are stepping forward to join the Peace Corps.”
Currently, more than 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers are working in 76 host countries. After their 27 months of service, Peace Corps volunteers with four-year degrees return home as global citizens with cross-cultural, leadership, language, teaching and community development skills that position them for advanced educational and professional opportunities in today’s global job market.
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