Georgetown University is now ranked third in the nation for the number of Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in the category of middle-sized schools and 17th in the nation overall for the most alumni serving per capita.

Middle-sized schools have undergraduate populations between 5,000 and 15,000.

As of January 2003, 687 Georgetown alumni have served or are currently serving while 70 are now abroad on Peace Corps assignments, Sara Johnston, Peace Corps public affairs specialist, explained.

Matthew Gallagher, the Georgetown campus recruiter for the Peace Corps, was on hand to answer questions from prospective volunteers at Georgetown’s Career Fair on Oct. 14 at the Leavey Center. Thirty-eight volunteers were sent overseas last year and he expects the same number or more to go this year.

Gallagher’s first assignment for the Peace Corps was in 1998 as a school teacher in Carriacou, Grenada. He worked in a one-room classroom as the only teacher to a village full of children.

“The way of life in Grenada was based on one-on-one relationships,” Gallagher said. “My experience there gave me a second perspective on looking at America.”

According to Peace Corps public affairs specialist Sara Johnston, volunteers serve in 69 countries all over the world, collaborating with local community members in areas such as education, youth outreach, business and community development, the environment, health, HIV/AIDS and information technology.

“A Georgetown graduate could qualify for a number of Peace Corps programs depending on his or her major, work and/or volunteer experience,” Johnston said.

Of all the people that begin the application process, only one in three will actually serve in the Peace Corps. All applicants must be U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age.

After completing an online application, applicants are interviewed by recruiters who “nominate” them for the various overseas programs. People are encouraged to apply nine to 12 months before they want to leave.

“The most important personal characteristics to have for the Peace Corps are being open to communicating with people, being cross-culturally sensitive, having an open mind and patience,” Johnston said.

Gallagher stressed the importance that the Peace Corps places on safety of its volunteers while they serve overseas. Establishing emergency evacuation routes is the first thing that volunteers do when they arrive overseas. Volunteers are only sent to countries and villages that expressly request aid from the Peace Corps.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have gone on to take leadership roles in all areas of business, government, overseas development, education, media, science and health. The Peace Corps also offers opportunities for graduate studies during and after service through the Masters International and Peace Corps Fellows programs.

“We were given the opportunity to provide technical skills to people who were in real need of them,” Gallagher said. “We were also able to share our cross-cultural experiences overseas with friends and family back home.”

“Volunteers return with a new sense of themselves and the world,” Johnston said. “Most will say they got back much more than they gave and learned more than they taught.”