The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa placed in the top 25 in the 2013 Peace Corps’ Top Colleges rankings. The Mānoa program was ranked 24 among medium-sized schools. The annual list recognizes the highest volunteer-producing colleges and universities for small, medium, large and graduate institutions.
UH Mānoa moves up 20 places from last year’s ranking at number 44, making it the only school in Hawaiʻi to place in the 2013 Top Colleges rankings. This is the first time that UH Mānoa has appeared on the Peace Corps’ Top Colleges since the rankings began in 2003. UH Mānoa has had 553 Peace Corps volunteers.
“The Peace Corps Program has a great history in Hawaiʻi and has flourished largely due to the culture of service in our islands,” said Atina Pascua, director of the UH Mānoa’s Service Learning Program. “The UH Mānoa program has had excellent campus recruiters getting the word out about the opportunity and assisting with the entire process until our students are ready to leave for their service.”
“The multicultural environment of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa exposed me to diverse people and cultures all at one place,” said Peggy Kang, a UH Mānoa alumna currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho. “Also, all the knowledge and experience gained through the latest and practical teaching methods and curriculum…set a strong foundation for my primary job as an education volunteer.”
Students interested in serving in the Peace Corps should email Hawaiʻi Peace Corps Representative Sam West or call (808) 965-6860.
—Adapted from a UH Mānoa news release
—By Nicole Atienza
