News

UC Berkeley Jumps in Peace Corps Rankings, Remains All- time Top Volunteer Producer

Published

6 years ago

April 1, 2019

On the celebration for the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary in 2011, UC Berkeley renewed its call for more graduates to serve. The appeal may finally be paying off.

UC Berkeley has jumped 10 spots to place 11th among large U.S. colleges and universities in this year’s Peace Corps rankings of the top volunteer-producing colleges and universities, with 53 graduates currently serving around the world.

The campus remains the nation’s all-time top producer of Peace Corps volunteers. Since the U.S. government program’s founding in 1961, a total of 3,685 UC Berkeley alumni have been sent overseas.

“I’m not surprised that more Cal grads are joining the Peace Corps,” said Sandra Bass, director of the Berkeley Public Service Center, which helps facilitate student volunteer opportunities. “We attract students who are passionate about making a difference in the world and the Peace Corps provides an opportunity to do that.”

As it did last year, the University of Wisconsin–Madison topped this year’s list, with 75 alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps.

On its heels is the University of Virginia with 74 volunteers, the University of Minnesota with 70 and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with 63. Ohio State University, the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill tied with 62.

UCLA made the top 25 in the 2019 rankings, placing 21st with 38 graduates currently serving in the Peace Corps.

“I am proud that so many graduates of these esteemed institutions leverage their educations to make the world a better place,” said Peace Corps National Director Jody Olsen, who served in Tunisia from 1966 to 1968.

Portia Boykin, an Oakland-based Peace Corps regional recruiter, attributed the uptick, at least in part, to her office “making Cal a top priority for recruitment efforts, and the fact that UC Berkeley students are extremely enthusiastic about Peace Corps service.”

President John. F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps to promote understanding and cooperation between Americans and people in the developing world. Volunteers receive three months of training and then serve two years in their assigned countries.

Among the 53 UC Berkeley alumni serving overseas today is Ursula Kajani, a 2017 graduate in public health who is working on maternal and child health in Rwanda. She said the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

“The frustrations and rewards of working in a culture completely different than your own — and in a language you are still learning — definitely helps me understand and value the immigrant plight in the U.S. more than I ever have before,” she wrote in an email.

Overall, she added, “it’s truly a beautiful and exhilarating experience.”

Meanwhile, in Guinea, Priscilla Ibrahim, a 2016 graduate in peace and conflict studies, is teaching English, women’s literacy, malaria prevention and soap-making, among other skills.

In an essay, Ibrahim described how she and her African host family bonded over their shared love for the music of Rihanna, among other cross-cultural passions, when she was unable to speak French or the local lingo.

The daughter of Egyptian immigrants, Ibrahim said she has felt, at times, like a stranger in her native United States, but that her time in Guinea has expanded her sense of identity.

“I’m proud of my Egyptian heritage, and I’m proud to be an American,” she wrote. “But I’m most gratified by what I am slowly accomplishing here.”

The University of California’s Education Abroad Program offers a Peace Corps Prep certificate program that trains undergraduates in how to gear up for international development fieldwork.

Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations

Posts by Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations

Related Topics:Peace Corps Prep University of California’s Education Abroad Program

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Activism

NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention Highlights Black Voter Engagement, and More

A Friday panel featuring NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell and Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, examined Project 2025, an initiative perceived as a potential threat to civil rights, healthcare access, and environmental protection. This session emphasized Project 2025’s projected impact on Black communities, noting that policies within the initiative could diminish gains in civil and environmental rights over decades. Russell and Wilson highlighted the need for vigilant monitoring and community mobilization to address these challenges.

Published

9 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

NAACP State Conference President Rick Callender (right) engages in a discussion on voter engagement and community advocacy with NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson during the 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention in Los Angeles. Photo by Rich Woods.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention concluded on Sunday, Oct 27, following four days of discussions and workshops at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Bringing together civil rights leaders, policymakers, and advocates from California and Hawaii, the convention operated under the theme “All In.” The participants discussed critical issues impacting Black communities, including criminal justice reform, health equity, economic empowerment, education, environmental justice, and voting rights.

On Saturday, the President’s Fireside Chat brought together NAACP President Derrick Johnson and CA/HI State Conference President Rick Callender, who discussed the urgency of voter engagement and community advocacy.

Guest speakers included Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), who spoke at the Women in NAACP (WIN) Labor Luncheon about the intersection of labor rights and civil rights. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond delivered remarks at the Leadership Dinner on education equity, focusing on policies to ensure all students have access to high-quality education.

Honors were given to longtime social justice advocate and former Assemblymember Mike Davis for his work in community activism. At the same time, actor and activist Danny Glover and the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown received the 2024 Legacy Hall of Fame Awards, recognizing their lifelong commitments to advancing civil rights.

The convention also offered practical workshops, including “What’s On Your Ballot?,” where coalition leaders provided analyses of California propositions, explaining their potential impacts on community rights and resources. The Voter Turnout Workshop provided background and encouraged participants to promote voter turnout through community-centered outreach strategies.

Sunday’s events closed with a Prayer and Memorial Breakfast honoring the contributions of past and current civil rights leaders.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Alameda County Judge Blasts Defendants Over Delay in West Oakland Fire Trial

Judge Kimberly Lowell excoriated the RadiusRecycling/SchnitzerSteel defendants in court for causing delays in prosecuting this case. Since the defendants first appeared in court on July 23, they have obtained three extensions of the arraignment date.

Published

9 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Criminal charges announced this week are related to the August 2023 scrap metal fire at Radius Recycling Inc., formerly Schnitzer Steel. Photo courtesy of Oaklandside.

Special to The Post

District Attorney Pamela Price announced that a hearing was held on October 30 in the criminal prosecution of the Radius Recycling/Schnitzer Steel involving a fire at the West Oakland facility on Aug. 9-10, 2023.

The Alameda County criminal Grand Jury indicted radius Recycling and two of its corporate managers in June 2024.

The court clarified that the defendants will not receive more extensions on their arraignment and plea.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price agreed with the court that defendants should not get preferential treatment. Price and her team appreciated the court for clarifying that future delays by Radius will not be tolerated.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD) public data shows that during and after the fire, the smoke plume traveled across Alameda County with high levels of PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter) detected around Laney College in Oakland, Livermore, Pleasanton, and West Oakland.

PM2.5 is particularly harmful to infants and children, the elderly, and people with asthma or heart disease.

“This fire posed a great health hazard to the people of Alameda County,” said Price. “High, short-term exposures to a toxic smoke plume have been shown to cause significant danger to human health.

“Additionally, in this case, Oakland firefighters battled the blaze under extremely dangerous conditions for 15 hours with assistance from a San Francisco Fire Department fireboat and a fireboat from the City of Alameda Fire Department,” Price observed.

The team prosecuting the case from the DA’s Consumer Justice Bureau looks forward to resolving any future motions and having the defendants arraigned in court on Dec. 9.

The media relations office of the Alameda County District Attorney’s office is the source of this report.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

D.A. Price Charges Coliseum Flea Market Vendors in Organized Retail Theft Case

The charges against Octavio Ambriz Valle, 52, Devora Ambriz Valle, 49, and Felipe Del Toro Trejo, 54, include multiple felony counts of possessing stolen property and organized retail theft in concert. It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Published

10 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Alameda County courthouse. Courtesy photo.

Alameda County Courthouse File photo.

Special to The Post

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced today that her office charged three people in connection with multiple organized retail theft crimes stemming from a sophisticated criminal enterprise operating at the Oakland Coliseum Flea Market from March 26, 2023, through April 17, 2024.

It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Last year, the District Attorney’s Office successfully competed and received a $2 million grant from the California Department of Justice to combat organized retail theft. Price added another $2 million to bolster the Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) unit which is fully operational and collaborating with numerous law enforcement agencies.

“For over a year, this enterprise supported criminal networks by requesting and buying specific products from brazen boosters who repeatedly terrorized retailers,” said Price. “I want to acknowledge our Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) Vertical Prosecution Unit for its great work and the role they played in this multi-jurisdiction investigation, which included the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Organized Retail Crime Task Force, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and San Ramon Police Department.”

If convicted and sentenced on all charges, Octavio Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of nine years in County jail; Devora Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of five years in County jail; and Felipe Del Toro Trejo faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in County jail.