Ohio State University among Top 10 in Peace Corps recruits since agency's founding
Valerie Fronczak looks back at her time in the Peace Corps with fondness.
The U.S. Air Force veteran served as a computer programmer with the Peace Corps in Malawi, a landlocked country in southeast Africa. Fronczak assisted on a project run by the World Health Organization, where she helped to computerize the country's medical drug supply system.
In addition to her work as a programmer with the Peace Corps, Fronczak learned to speak Chichewa — a Bantu language that is an official national language of Malawi along with English — and taught an evening course on working with databases to Malawian students. In between her work, she liked to hang out with Malawians and discuss politics, differences in lifestyle between the United States and Malawi, and learn about their experiences and how they viewed America.
Fronczak served in the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991. Now, she pays her volunteer experience forward as a Peace Corps recruiter with Ohio State University. The 66-year-old Columbus resident talks with college students about the Peace Corps, some of whom have either never heard of the agency founded in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy's administration or have planned to join since high school.
And it seems like her recruiting work is paying off.
On April 17, the Peace Corps released its 2024 rankings of colleges and universities that have churned out the highest number of volunteers since the agency's founding. Ohio State University came in at the No. 9 spot for large schools (more than 15,000 students), with a total of 1,523 volunteers.
The Peace Corps, founded on March 1, 1961, is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners and staff. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development, and youth development.
Volunteers are spread throughout posts in more than 60 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Volunteers are assigned a host country and live and work among the people on two-year assignments, with the option to extend their service for an additional two years.
Fronczak said that the agency is still in the process of rebuilding their volunteer numbers as they rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, Peace Corps temporarily suspended their global operations and evacuated almost 7,000 volunteers from overseas assignments — the first time the agency ever conducted a worldwide evacuation. Since the evacuation, Peace Corps has reopened posts on a case-by-case basis, said Joe Nava, Peace Corps public affairs specialist.
Fronczak said she hopes that the batch of those who graduated from OSU and are scheduled to come back this year help bring more awareness about the Peace Corps.
"We've been slow to ramp back up since 2020, and we definitely need to get back on the radar," Fronczak said. She said she speaks with students about joining because they are career motivated and want to make a difference in the world. She also said that she tries to get with students early so they can think about applying early. According to the most recent data available, nine people joined in 2020 before the pandemic.
Jamie Rhein, president of the Central Ohio Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association, often holds Peace Corps events and speaks to college seniors who are considering joining. Rhein, who was a volunteer from 1980 to 1982 and served as a community health volunteer in The Gambia, a West African nation, said that she loves assisting with recruiting efforts and speaking with college seniors who are considering the Peace Corps.
Something Rhein, 65, of Columbus said she often notices with prospective recruits is how they are eager to do something to make a difference in the world.
"There is really nothing like it. If you're going to do any international jobs, there's nothing like Peace Corps," said Rhein.
After completing her Peace Corps service in 1982, Rhein returned to The Gambia in 1987 and found that the projects she had implemented while she was a volunteer were still in place and being used by her community members.
'Be ready for your life to change': Reflections of a former volunteer
Brittany Baker, 34, of Columbus, served with the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Cambodia from 2016 to 2018. For her, the Peace Corps was a dream of hers since she was in high school.
"I was always intrigued about living in another country," said Baker. After her service ended in 2018, she returned to Cambodia in 2019 to help teach new Peace Corps trainees for four months.
When asked what she would tell prospective volunteers, Barker said that it's important for volunteers to be open minded and realize that people live differently around the world, and most of all, they must be curious.
"I would definitely say be open minded, and realize people live differently everywhere," said Barker.
"Be ready for your life to change."
How can I join the Peace Corps?
Those interested in learning more about the Peace Corps and becoming a volunteer can apply to open positions on the Peace Corps website. Volunteers can serve in different sectors such as agriculture, community health, environment, education, youth development, and community economic development.
Do I need to have a college degree to join?
While some positions are open for those with a mix of work experience and education, some positions do require a four-year college degree.
Is there an age requirement?
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to serve, and there is no age limit.
Do I need to know another language to apply?
Language requirements vary by country, and the Peace Corps provides language instruction during the three-month pre-service training period.
Are volunteers paid?
Peace Corps volunteers earn a monthly stipend. The specific amount of the stipend will vary by country, and is determined by a number of factors. The stipend is intended for volunteers to live at a level similar to the people in their community. The Peace Corps will arrange local banking services for volunteers upon their arrival in country.
Does Peace Corps provide housing for volunteers?
The Peace Corps takes care of housing arrangements both for pre-service training and for when volunteers are placed in their respective work sites. The Peace Corps requires you to live in approved housing that meets its safety criteria, and types of housing will vary by country. In most countries, you are required to live with a host family for a number of months before living independently.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State University among Top 10 in number of Peace Corps recruits
