Visit Jeff Branscome's blog: The Chalkboard

Visit the Photo Place

UMW grads go to Peace Corps

UMW ranks at the top of the list of small colleges for its peace corps participation

Date published: 2/11/2007

BY JEFF BRANSCOME

Carrie Wallinger first thought about joining the Peace Corps while in a downtown Fredericksburg ice cream shop.

At the time, she was a freshman at Mary Washington College and heard a graduate talking about her experiences in the two-year program.

About six years later, in 2004, the 26-year-old was teaching English as a second language to children in Mongolia.

She's one of 164 UMW alumni who have volunteered for the Peace Corps.

Currently, 26 alumni are serving. That puts UMW's participation above all but four colleges with fewer than 5,000 students.

"It's not exactly a diverse campus," Wallinger said, which is why some students may want to immerse themselves in another culture.

But she also said professors at the university encourage students to volunteer and learn about other parts of the world.

An evaluation of the biology department revealed that students wanted more "international opportunities for study," said professor Alan Griffith.

Peace Corps recruiters visit UMW at least four times a year, said spokesman Phillip Chapman.

When asked about the distinction, two UMW seniors cited the predominance of upper-middle-class students with a lot of travel experience.

Samantha Blackburn, 21, and Susannah Jackson, 22, are both applying for the Peace Corps, established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.

These experienced volunteers say nothing is holding them back from going, in part because their parents paid for their education.

Blackburn is the student director of the Community Outreach and Resources, or COAR--the largest community-service club on campus.

Jackson, a self-described hippie who wore flips flops during a recent interview, has volunteered for a therapeutic horse-riding program.

Neither really cares where the Peace Corps puts her.

"Whatever's supposed to happen will happen," said Blackburn, who'd like to help people with AIDs.

Wallinger said she often had tea with her neighbors in Mongolia, where she lived in a felt tent.

Even though they spoke no English, she said she looked at them as family.

"Among my friends and my professors there was always a discussion of other cultures or just wanting to broaden our horizons," she said.

A Mary Washington College alumna recently became the Peace Corps' new deputy chief of staff and operations. Courtney Santonicola, 32, graduated from MWC in 1996 with a degree in international relations. Before her promotion, she worked at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington as a chief compliance officer. She's been with the organization for nearly four years. Prior to this, she held jobs on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Department of State. While she's never served in the Peace Corps overseas, Santonicola said she believes in its mission to "change the world one community at a time."

Follow us on

Date published: 2/11/2007