The program will be housed in the Weingart Center for the Career and Professional Development and be built on a wide-ranging interdisciplinary curriculum. Students will learn about and practice leadership, intercultural competence, foreign language, and a professional sector of their choice such as education, health, or the environment. Once students have completed the academic and professional development work, the students will be eligible for the certificate from the Peace Corps. More importantly, the skills they build will give them a competitive edge when applying for Peace Corps service, and can be built upon and marketed throughout their careers.
The Peace Corps has Peace Corps Prep partnerships with more than 75 leading academic institutions nationwide. Established in 2007, the program aims to meet the demand for Peace Corps volunteers with a broad and relevant set of expertise, and to support schools’ efforts to provide substantive, globally focused experiences for their students.
Assistant Dean of the Career Center Deborah Pratt was instrumental in bringing the program to Whittier. Associate Dean of Academic Planning Andrew Wallis and Professor of Spanish Doreen O’Connor-Gómez were key in garnering faculty support and excitement.
This is Whittier College’s first partnership with the Peace Corps and the third institution in California to establish a Peace Corps Prep program. Since 1961, Whittier has had 147 Peace Corps volunteers, with two recent graduates currently serving today. For more information about the program, please visit our website.
About the Peace Corps 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, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long 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 225,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
