Peace Corps hopes to boost interest with UNLV students

A regional Peace Corps recruitment officer spent two days in Las Vegas this week talking to UNLV students and interested residents about the benefits of providing assistance abroad.

The international development agency, funded by the federal government, sends American volunteers to 80 countries around the world where they spend two years sharing their skills and knowledge.

Since 1961, 288 Nevadans have served in the Peace Corps, 78 of whom were UNLV graduates.

Heidi Thoren, spokeswoman for the agency, said historically UNLV is not one of the highest producing colleges when it comes to Peace Corps volunteers, but in the past three years its numbers have doubled. In 1995 there was one UNLV graduate in the program; this year there are eight.

"The fact that UNLV is a very young university may add to the low number (of volunteers)," Thoren said. "But I definitely think it's changing. I've seen an increasing interest in (UNLV) students particularly in business."

UNLV graduate student Travis Gibbs said he's planning to apply for an assignment in Russia where he can put to use his business degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Education, health, environment and agriculture are some of the fields where volunteers are needed. May Ng, regional recruiter, said teaching English as a second language is the field with the largest demand for volunteers.

The program uses 6,500 volunteers each year out of 10,000 applicants. Volunteers must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old (there is no upper age limit) and have skill or knowledge in one of the 30 programs.

Applying for an assignment at least nine months ahead of time is important, Ng said, adding the legal and medical process takes six to nine months.

In addition to the two years of service, volunteers must participate in 12 weeks of technical, language and cross-cultural training in the country they are assigned.

Volunteers are provided with a living stipend and full medical and dental care. When their service is complete they receive $5,400 to help them re-adjust after their assignment. Volunteers also can have student loans deferred for 27 months.

Although the majority of programs require a college degree or equivalent life experience, Thoren said life experience is equally as valuable.

Las Vegas resident Ruth Gates went into the Peace Corps right out of college and spent two years in Honduras in the agribusiness program.

Gates said her experience growing up on a farm in upstate New York translated into helping families market their produce and set their planting season according to demand. She also taught proper chemical application to crops.

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