The Peace Corps commemorates 50 years of service that began with the signing of President John F. Kennedy’s executive order establishing the federal agency on March 1, 1961.

    “Throughout our history, the Peace Corps has adapted and responded to the issues of the times. In an ever-changing world, volunteers meet challenges with innovation and compassion,” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “As we move to the future, I envision a Peace Corps that remains vibrant for another 50 years, one that grows, adapts, and continues to carry the torch of President Kennedy’s revolutionary idea and responds to President Obama’s call to service.”

    To mark the milestone, Peace Corps staff and returned volunteers are commemorating the anniversary through local service projects both in the United States and in Peace Corps host countries.

    At the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) on April 15, they will be celebrating Peace Corps’ 50 Years of Promoting Peace and Friendship along with UC San Diego’s 50th Anniversary of Achieving the Extraordinary.

    For the fourth year in a row, UCSD earned a spot on the annual list of “Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities,” with 46 alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, UCSD ranks No. 22 nationally for large universities. Since Peace Corps’ inception in 1961, 630 UCSD alumni have served overseas with the Peace Corps.

    UCSD currently has alumni serving in 30 of the 76 countries where Peace Corps works. The highest concentration of Tritons is in Guatemala (four) and Namibia (three). The majority of volunteers are working in education, the environment, health and business development.

    Nemo Curiel, who graduated from UCSD in 2005 with a degree in mathematics and is a native San Diegan, is one of 46 Bruins currently serving overseas. He works as an education volunteer in Kenya, where he first began training in November of 2008. Curiel says he was attracted to the Peace Corps “because of the opportunity to live abroad and meet new people.” 

    President Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship through three goals: helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served; and helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

    Peace Corps volunteers are assisting communities in a variety of ways, including teaching English as a second language, working with HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs, and providing advice and instruction on nutrition and food availability issues to mitigate the adverse consequences of the food security crisis. Americans can make a difference in communities around the world—from green mountain valleys in Central America, villages at the edge of the desert in Africa, to remote towns in Asia.

    The UCSD celebration will take place Friday, April 15, 2011 in the Horizon Room CSC in the International Center featuring a cultural exhibition, entertainment, and lunch.

    Guest speaker will be Meg Garlinghouse, Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria 1989- 1992 and head of Employment Branding and Community for LinkedIn.

    The event starts at 10:30 am, and is free and open to the public but there is limited seating. For further information contact Port Triton at career@ucsd.edu or Diana Gomez at d1gomez@ucsd.edu