Peace Corps Certificate Program continues to prepare globally-minded students with valuable life skills
By Liam Velazquez
GEO Communications Intern
Contact: (804) 828-6463
Richmond, VA (April 1, 2025) — The Global Education Office’s Peace Corps Prep Certificate Program, developed from a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and the Peace Corps, has enjoyed a lot of success for more than a decade. The program, which has been offered at VCU since 2014, was originally designed for students in VCU’s former living-learning program, VCU Globe. It is now open to all undergraduate students regardless of major, making it more flexible and accessible to students across disciplines. The program aims to give students the necessary skills sought by the Peace Corps and other global employers.
Joining the Peace Corps – a U.S. government agency that sends volunteers abroad to work on community-driven projects – after completing the prep program is not necessary, but the skills, experience and certificate provided will still be attractive qualities when seeking employment.
Stephanie Tignor, director of global learning, expressed how valuable the experience is for students completing the program. “The skills gained from participating in the Peace Corps Prep Program such as leadership, intercultural communication, problem-solving, and global awareness are highly transferable,” she said. “These skills are beneficial in virtually any career path, from health sciences and education to private-sector roles that require strong cross-cultural understanding and community engagement.”
Beyond the skills it provides, the Peace Corps Prep Certificate carries valuable name recognition. Since its founding by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps has been known for its positive global impact and reputation for promoting peace, mutual understanding, and service. Completing this program signals to employers a student’s dedication to global engagement and service.
Of the VCU students participating in the prep program since it began, 498 undergraduates have earned the Peace Corps Prep certificate.
Cree Taylor is an environmental studies major in her second year at VCU. She has been a part of the Peace Corps Prep Program for several months.
“I've really liked it. The instructions are very clear, but it's very relaxed and kind of at your own pace,” Taylor said.
The certificate program requires sector-specific and intercultural coursework, as well as 50 hours of volunteer service and leadership and professional experience. Many students do not need to take additional coursework beyond what is already required for their major but may need to make specific choices among electives.
“I can't really think of any particular struggles that anybody might have with this program just because it's so able to be personalized,” Taylor said. “And Sarah's really good about explaining it and making sure people know what they're getting into.”
Sarah Carrier is the associate director of global learning in VCU’s Global Education Office, and manages the certificate program. She shared the experiences and requirements of the program that students must complete.
“All aspects of the certificate (the volunteer hours, the curricular pieces) are under the umbrella of whatever sector you choose, so the program is quite customizable,” Carrier said. “For example, if you choose the health sector, you do 50 hours of service in a healthcare setting. You take three courses that have some type of health focus, as well as your intercultural coursework, and then you complete the leadership and professional pieces.”
Meg Stallard is a junior majoring in political science and minoring in environmental studies. She recently joined the Peace Corps Prep Program this spring semester, and hopes to join the Peace Corps once she finishes. Stallard has already completed the required course work, and only needs to complete the volunteer work.
“So far I've been volunteering at an elementary school teaching fifth graders earth science and human impacts on the earth, because youth education is a really important aspect of the Peace Corps,” Stallard said. “And I've also been volunteering with the James River Association, doing invasive species removal specifically at Shiplock Park.”
The program is self-paced, and can be completed in a flexible amount of time, according to Carrier. Students can finish in one semester, or take several years if they choose to spread things apart.
Carrier also stressed that joining the Peace Corps after completing the prep program is not required.
"Participation in the program does not necessarily mean that the Peace Corps is exactly what you want to do,” Carrier said. “You could earn the certificate and choose to go in many different directions professionally, knowing that the skills gained will help you be employable in any global field.”
The Peace Corps provides life changing experiences to its volunteers that often influence their professional aspirations and occupations throughout their lives.
The late Blue Wooldridge, Ph.D., professor emeritus at VCU until his recent passing, had experience teaching at Virginia Tech and the University of Connecticut. He was a Peace Corps volunteer for several years, teaching secondary schooling in Nigeria in the early 1960s. Wooldridge credited the Peace Corps for much of what he was able to accomplish in life.
“Eighty-five of the good things that have happened in my career, and maybe 15 of the bad,” Wooldridge said. “But 85 of the good things that happened in my career happened to me because of my Peace Corps experience.”
Wooldridge went to the U.S. Virgin Islands because a Peace Corps training session was headed to Nigeria. They wanted someone with Nigerian experience, according to Wooldridge, which he had. Once there, he went on to be the coordinator of federal programs and budget analyst for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and taught preschool there too.
He worked with USAID in South Africa, something he directly credits to his Peace Corps experience.
“It did lead me into South Africa and I was invited back over by the African National Congress (ANC),” Wooldridge said. “That was another thing that came out of my having been in the Peace Corps and almost all of my international training.”
Wooldridge worked in other international positions working in “about 75 different countries.”
Since its inception in 1961, 295 VCU alumni have gone on to join the Peace Corps. What students decide to do after completing the preparatory program is up to them, but VCU’s Peace Corps Prep Certificate Program offers clear benefits that could be used in a variety of international work and study.
For more information on the program, read the program overview.
If interested in applying for the program, submit an application online.
