impact

Alumni take their skills around the globe with the Peace Corps

Tyler Krupnik ’24 works in the coastal communities of the Philippines and Mitch Dolby ’23 is in the rural heart of Zambia.

Chris Moody

6 Apr 2026

Mitch Dolby with a youth soccer team in Zambia. — Mitch Dolby '23 (at back right) spends part of his time in Zambia working with youth in various roles, including coaching soccer. Photo courtesy of Mitch Dolby.

With personal missions of serving those in need while having a global impact, two alumni of the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment are living the university's Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) motto.

Tyler Krupnik ’24 and Mitch Dolby ’23 both earned degrees from the Department of Geography. They are now putting their education to work as members of the Peace Corps. Krupnik works in the coastal communities of the Philippines, while Dolby is in the rural heart of Zambia.

Through their efforts, hard work, and altruism, they are advancing community-led environmental and public health modeling the university’s commitment to global service and hands-on problem solving.

For both, the Peace Corps felt like the right step to take after graduating.

Tyler Krupnik '24 speaks to school children in the Philippines about sea turtle protection and habitat. — Tyler Krupnik '24 (at front) speaks to school children in the Philippines about sustainable markets. He works in the Coastal Resources Management program administered by the Peace Corps. Photo courtesy of Tyler Krupnik.

Protecting coastal ecosystems in the Philippines

Krupnik, who earned a degree in geography with minors in climate and society and meteorology, joined the Peace Corps in July and applied to join the Coastal Resource Management program in the Philippines.

“I had done extensive research on all available programs at the time, and this one spoke to me the most,” Krupnik said.

The Coastal Resource Management program is an initiative that integrates conservation, education, and community engagement across coastal regions.

Following training, Krupnik was assigned to the Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions, a nongovernmental organization in San Juan, La Union province. The group is best known for its sea turtle conservation efforts but works broadly across environmental education, sustainability, solid waste management, and other issues shaping the health of coastal ecosystems.

Tyler Krupnik moving sea turtle eggs. — Tyler Krupnik works with a sea turtle nest in the Philippines, transferring the eggs to a secure area. Photo courtesy of Tyler Krupnik.

He is currently working as part of four major projects with the organization: planning and coordinating turtle‑handling and patrol trainings for local fisherfolk organizations, organizing environmental activities with schools; conducting field research on fishing technology, and building partnerships with coastal resorts throughout La Union.

Krupnik decided to pursue opportunities in the Peace Corps near the end of his junior year. He said Dolby offered guidance, and there was support and encouragement from academic advisor Julie Burger, herself a Peace Corps veteran.

After his service, Krupnik intends to pursue a master’s degree focused on international human development, sustainability, and climate change.

Mitch Dolby helps villagers in Zambia select a location for a bore hole that will operate as a well, serving the clean water needs of nearly 1,000 people. Photo courtesy of Mitch Dolby.

Expanding access to clean water in Zambia

In southern Africa, Dolby has spent the past year and a half serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the small, rural community of Mpungu, in northwestern Zambia. His work has focused on agriculture, malaria prevention, and a critical need for safe drinking water.

In the densely populated neighborhood of Mashelo, more than 1,000 families depend on a single hand-pump borehole for all household and commercial water needs. As Dolby describes in his Peace Corps Partnership Program update, heavy use has led to regular breakdowns. When the pump fails, residents are forced to collect water from the Mpungu River, an unregulated stream contaminated with waste and pollutants, posing a significant risk of waterborne illness.

Dolby and community members are now working to renovate the borehole into a solar‑powered submersible pump system. The upgraded design includes a 10,000‑liter storage tank, six taps, solar lighting, fencing, and improved drainage infrastructure. The improved water supply measures are supported by a locally managed governance system and household maintenance fees.

Dolby also works on service projects that include malaria education and outreach, fish farming, mushroom growing, rice farming, and youth engagement activities.

Mitch Dolby works with villagers in northeastern Zambia to provide clean water to the families in the area, easing the burden of an overused well that forced some to get water from a polluted river. Photo courtesy of Mitch Dolby.

Global service rooted in geography

The two friends now tread paths some 7,000 miles apart, but close in purpose. Their desire to work directly with communities and apply their geography training to real-world challenges, bringing aid and assistance to people from different parts of the globe who are similar in their needs, has become rewarding opportunities to experience between undergraduate studies and future graduate work.