For students interested in getting a leg up in career fields that involve environmental or humanitarian efforts, the University of Rhode Island’s Peace Corps Prep program helps students gain skills that employers are looking for.
The program targets students in majors that have niche employment opportunities following graduation, according to fourth-year wildlife conservation major and program member Kayla Reffelt.
“I do like that humanitarian aspect of it,” Reffelt said. “When I was doing rehabilitation, that was just the most rewarding thing ever.”
Prior to entering the program, Reffelt worked as a wildlife rehabilitator in Texas. Since she had already fulfilled many of the program’s requirements, such as volunteering hours, she said her professor convinced her to join.
Following completion of the program, members receive a certificate that aids them in their application to the Peace Corps or related employment opportunities, according to Reffelt.
While Reffelt isn’t sure that she wants to enter the Peace Corps, it is something that she is leaving on her radar. She said the Peace Corps would be a “really cool life experience.”
Students in the program are also required to meet a language requirement of two semesters, according to professor of aquaculture and fisheries Michael Rice.
“Being bilingual, I think, is not stressed enough,” Reffelt said. “I wish we were taught it earlier because we’re like sponges when we’re little.”
The decision to join the Peace Corps as a student is not one to take lightly, according to Reffelt. Members leave home for two years and have to abandon all of the social norms they are accustomed to.
“I think that if you are interested in putting your life toward humanitarian efforts and volunteer work and are serious about traveling, I think it would be a pretty good fit for you,” Reffelt said.
URI’s Peace Corps Prep program is developed by the official Peace Corps and typically welcomes eight to 10 new students each year, according to Rice. Additionally, URI has been one of the top universities in providing Peace Corps volunteers.
Each year, 24,000 people apply to join the Peace Corps, but only between 4,000 and 5,000 are accepted, according to Rice. By participating in the program and receiving their certificate, URI’s applicants have their applications moved up to have priority consideration.
Most of URI’s volunteers studied agricultural science, economical development and natural resources, according to Rice. However, the program has many sectors that cater to different majors and interests, according to Reffelt.
During COVID-19, the Peace Corps did not send new volunteers out and the program was receiving a low level of members, according to Rice. Now, the Peace Corps is just beginning to send volunteers out again.
The Peace Corps began in 1961 under former President John F. Kennedy’s administration, according to Rice. COVID was the first large break in the program aside from instances where there have been disturbances in the host countries.
Students interested in joining URI’s Peace Corps Prep program can learn more about what the requirements are and what it entails on their website.