Jessica Kroenert '15 is one of 23 Geneseo alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps. Kroenert is a community economic development volunteer in Senegal. Photo provided.
SUNY Geneseo is ranked No. 10 among medium-sized schools on the Peace Corps’ 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. Currently, 23 Geneseo alumni are volunteering with the program worldwide.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Geneseo has ranked among the top 25 medium-size schools. In 2017, Geneseo ranked No. 14.
“Peace Corps service is a profound expression of the idealism and civic engagement that colleges and universities across the country inspire in their alumni,” said Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley. “As Peace Corps volunteers, recent college and university graduates foster capacity and self-reliance at the grassroots level, making an impact in communities around the world. When they return to the United States, they have new, highly sought-after skills and an enterprising spirit that further leverages their education and strengthens their communities back home.”
A total of 281 Geneseo alumni have served since the agency’s founding, including Jessica Kroenert ’15, who is serving as a community economic development volunteer in Senegal.
“People are so much more open and willing to share when you are able to demonstrate knowledge and respect for their culture and language, which is something I first learned at Geneseo and have continued to learn as a Peace Corps volunteer,” Kroenert said.
For more on Kroenert and other Geneseo alumni Peace Corps experiences, read this recent Geneseo Scene article. Find other stories in the College’s Peace Corps scrapbook.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving.
The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a lifelong commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today's global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide.
For more information, visit the SUNY Geneseo Peace Corps website or the national Peace Corps website and follow on Facebook and Twitter.