Since President John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961, 820 Virginia Tech alumni have served abroad, advancing the agency’s mission of promoting world peace and friendship through volunteer service. 

This year, Virginia Tech earned the No. 5 spot among large schools on the Peace Corps’ 2026 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. During the past year, 40 Hokies served in 27 countries around the world, according to the Peace Corps.

Service around the globe

Whether it be through securing safe water, access to food, technology implementation, or health education — alumni have worked side by side with communities on locally prioritized needs. Many come away with a deeper understanding of global challenges and the people working to address them. 

Kelly McArdle ’24 completes her mission in October. “I'm currently working in Namibia in collaboration with a local NGO [nongovermental organization] on a grant project to develop a community computer lab and provide digital literacy training to students,” she said.

Though a college degree is not required, most Peace Corps volunteers have been college graduates since the agency’s inception. Virginia Tech has consistently ranked among the top 25 large universities for producing Peace Corps volunteers.

Amanda leans in beside a child at a small service window, guiding the child’s hands as they handle play items on a wooden counter.
Kelly McArdle ’24 (at left) works with a staff member learning how to navigate the internet. Photo courtesy of Kelly McArdle.
Amanda sits at a low table across from a child, holding a toy orange as they play with pretend food and dishes in a kitchen-themed exhibit.
Kelly McArdle ’24 (at far right) with the first group of staff members to receive completion certificates for basic computer skills, internet use, and Microsoft Word training. Photo courtesy of Kelly McArdle.

Service at the core

"My time in the Peace Corps was the most impactful and rewarding experience of my life and reinforced the importance of service modeled by faculty like Ozzie Abaye and Mike Ellerbrock,” said Julie Burger, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and academic advisor in the Department of Geography. 

Burger applied her degree in crop and soil environmental science while assisting the municipality of Kardjali, Bulgaria, with environmental mitigation grants and programs. 

“As an academic advisor, I like to share my experience with students and encourage those who are curious, interested in volunteerism, and aspire to explore the wider world to apply to the Peace Corps,” Burger said.  

Since the launch of VT Engage in 2007, awareness of service and volunteerism has continued to grow throughout the Virginia Tech community. 

In just the past year, Hokies have put their service-learning ethos to work in countries from A to Z: Albania, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Madagascar, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Zambia.

“I credit the Peace Corps with launching my own career and helping prepare me to serve in Virginia Tech’s Center for International Research, Education, and Development,” Executive Director Tom Archibald said. 

Archibald said he is not surprised that Virginia Tech sends so many alumni into the Peace Corps. 

“To me, it is a clear testament to how Hokies continue to live out the spirit of Ut Prosim in impressive ways after they graduate,” he said.

Alex Lowe '23 said she likely would not have joined the Peace Corps if she hadn’t chosen Virginia Tech and the College of Engineering. “Giving back to the community is a big part of who we are as Hokies.”

Amanda Gurley '12, a former Virginia Tech Peace Corps recruiter and returned Peace Corps volunteer, said opportunities to serve while she was a student helped shape her path. 

“The opportunities to volunteer in the Blacksburg area through activities like The Big Event instilled in me a desire to serve others in the U.S. and abroad,” she said.

Be prepared

As rewarding as it is rigorous, the Peace Corps is a significant commitment. It takes grit. 

“Virginia Tech has a long, strong history of developing Peace Corps-ready volunteers,” said Gurley.

Virginia Tech’s hundreds of study-abroad opportunities available through the Global Education Office are an accessible and meaningful way to build intercultural skills. While earning credits, students learn to navigate unfamiliar settings, work across cultures, and approach community-based work with humility and curiosity — qualities that are essential to Peace Corps service.

Undergraduates with an eye on Peace Corps service but unsure how to be a competitive candidate should consider the university's Peace Corps Prep certificate. This credential is offered by the Peace Corps through the Center for International Research, Education, and Development. Certificate holders are recognized by the Peace Corps as having academic and practical experience reflecting competencies sought by the organization. 

With sector options that include education, health, environment, agriculture, youth development, and economic development, the program equips students with 50 hours of hands-on experience in their preferred sector, along with language, culture, and leadership preparedness.

“Most course choices for earning a Peace Corps Prep certificate also fulfill Pathways or major requirements and include courses that have already been completed,” said Larry Vaughan, director of program development at the center and manager of the Peace Corps Prep program.

Peace Corps applicants also benefit from the guidance of many faculty members who are Peace Corps veterans.

Lasting impact

Though Peace Corps service requires only two years of international development work, those two years can provide a lifetime of memories, friendships, and skills that carry into new careers and communities.

“Being immersed in and challenged by a culture different than your own gives you perspectives that are hard to earn any other way. You carry them throughout life,” said Vaughan. “I’ve been fortunate to have a career in international development, but my Peace Corps experience has been as valuable for how it colors my daily life as for how it has shaped my career,” he added.

Eager for practical problem solving beyond the classroom walls, Josh Perez, a Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine student, said the community-focused experience he found in the Peace Corps inspired his lifelong mission to serve others through medicine.

That impact, returned volunteers said, is part of what makes Peace Corps service so enduring. Volunteers leave prepared to support communities abroad, but they often return with new questions, stronger relationships, and a clearer understanding of how they want to serve.

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