Rhodes College was announced in May as one of the Peace Corps’ 2025 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities. Allison Jennings ’25 of Yukon, OK, is one of the Peace Corps’ newest members. She recently graduated from Rhodes with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Russian studies and will promote English literacy teaching and learning and leadership development at a primary school in Samoa.
“There is something to glean from living in and learning from another culture, and the values of the Samoan people are something I hope to see synthesized into my own,” said Jennings. “There is always room to grow as a global citizen, and I want to walk away from this experience more self-sufficient, but also more compassionate. I love cross-cultural bridge-building and helping others, and with my service I would like to grasp a more tangible idea of how to employ these traits in a future career.”
The Peace Corps provides Americans opportunities to immerse themselves in communities abroad and work side by side with local leaders to tackle challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, and youth development. Members serve in host communities for two years following three months of training and receive a living stipend, housing, extensive language and technical training, and financial benefits that can include graduate school fellowships after service.