Blog Post - December 16, 2014

Chicago, including Naperville and Joliet, again this year ranks among the top metropolitan areas for producing Peace Corps volunteers. Currently, 224 Peace Corps volunteers call Chicagoland home, making it the fourth highest-producing metro area for volunteers nationwide in 2014.

Illinois ranks fifth among the top states for Peace Corps volunteers. It's the top state in the Midwest with 284 residents now serving overseas.

Peace Corps volunteer Jack Guen-Murray, a native of Oak Park, Ill., makes a difference as an English education volunteer in China. He teaches seven English classes at a vocational college and reaches an average of 250 students per semester. He shares his Chicago home with his Chinese community through images and shared values, such as food, family and holidays.

"I would say the greatest part about living in another country is obtaining an external perspective, a new awareness and gaining a new appreciation for your own country," said Guen-Murray, who graduated from Lake Forest College in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in Asian studies and philosophy. "You see social issues from new angles that are impossible to see from inside the U.S., and you begin to place your wants and values on new scales."

Bloomington, Ill., native Lauren Karplus said her home state instilled in her beliefs that naturally led to the Peace Corps. Karplus, who earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and German from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2010 and a master's in political science from Illinois State University in 2014, served as community health volunteer in Swaziland from 2012-14. She conducted a sexual reproductive health campaign with a local men's soccer league, directed a national female empowerment organization and coordinated projects around agriculture and food security.

"Illinois has a strong sense of core values of community, and these values are an incredible asset when integrating into communal societies as Peace Corps Volunteers," she said. "The Midwestern values of hard work, humility, and helping others are essentially also the core values of the Peace Corps, so it makes people with these values very strong candidates for the Peace Corps."

Since Peace Corps was created in 1961, 8,460 Illinois residents have made a difference and helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 140 countries in which they have served.

"Peace Corps volunteers promote a better understanding of Americans around the world by sharing their unique hometown perspective during their service," Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. "As we forge a modern Peace Corps for modern times, we remain committed to building a volunteer force that reflects the rich diversity of our country, and doing more to recruit and retain the best and brightest across the country."

Several Illinois schools consistently place on Peace Corps' annual lists of colleges and universities that produce the most alumni volunteers. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks No. 19 among large schools this year, while Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago are ranked in the top 25 for medium schools. Also, Knox College is no. 10 for small colleges.

California topped the 2014 state rankings with 926 of its residents serving as Peace Corps volunteers, and New York-Newark-Jersey City is the No. 1 metro area with 335 volunteers overseas. To see the full list of Peace Corps' Top States and Metro Regions, click here.

Peace Corps is a life-defining leadership experience for Americans who are prepared for the challenge of public service overseas. Volunteers return home as global citizens with cross-cultural, leadership, language, teaching, and community development skills that position them well for advanced education and professional opportunities in a 21st-century job market.

It's now easier than ever to apply to the Peace Corps as reforms have made the process simpler, faster, and more personalized than ever before. In 2014, applications reached a 22-year high for the agency, with more than 17,000 Americans taking the first step toward international service. Through a one-hour online application, applicants can now choose the countries and programs they'd like to be considered for. Browse available volunteer positions at www.peacecorps.gov/openings.

Peace Corps' eight regional recruiting offices across the United States work to recruit and provide information to prospective Peace Corps volunteers. The Midwest Regional Recruiting Office serves Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, and Peace Corps recruiters work locally throughout the region. Call (855) 855-1961 or e-mail chicago@peacecorps.gov to speak directly with a recruiter, or read about Midwestern volunteers making a difference at http://midwestpcvs.wordpress.com.

About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends the best and brightest Americans abroad on behalf of the United States to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. Volunteers work at the grassroots level to develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their service, 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, nearly 220,000 Americans of all ages have served in 140 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

*Peace Corps data current as of September 30, 2014. The metropolitan area data used to determine Peace Corps' rankings are derived from the most current U.S. Census Bureau "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area" data. Volunteers self-report their home city and state on their Peace Corps application.

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