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

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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

Yasmin Anwar, Media Relations

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Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of September 16 – 22, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 16 – 22, 2026

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NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 […]
The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Darius Cooper with nine seconds left for the game winning touchdown as his team beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville. Hurts finished the day 26/37 for 264 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Prior to the final drive, the Eagles ran 25 plays for 45 yards. During the final drive Hurts went 6-8 with 61 passing yards and the touchdown. Titans defensive tackle — and team captain — Jeffery Simmons said this week that the way to defend Jalen Hurts is to make him “play quarterback.”

Hurts said to Simmons after today’s game: “You started that sh**. I had to finish it.”

Running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger in the first half but he ultimately finished the game. He had four carries and nine yards and one catch for eleven yards. He will get an MRI for his injury, but admitted to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network he was fine.

Caleb Williams leaves game against Vikings with apparent lower-body injury

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was helped off the field with a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams was down, writhing in pain after scrambling to his left. After departing the injury tent, Williams raised his right fist, acknowledging the crowd while expressing his frustration. Testing will commence on Monday to find out more details about his injury.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Johnson admitted regarding Williams’ injury. “He’s in good spirits. He’s a team player.”

Williams finished the day with 138 passing yards and one interception.

“I’m actually happy it’s nothing with the knee — that was my first inclination,” Johnson said. “But, a hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Bryce Young once again dominated the Falcons

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 5-1 against the Atlanta Falcons and is undefeated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Panthers to a 34-3 dismembering of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia Tech alumnus Darren Waller caught two touchdowns and linebacker Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

Cooper Rush started his second straight game for the Falcons and it did not go well. The partisan crowd voiced their displeasure after Rush completed 10/17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions. Jack Strand entered the game for Rush prompting cheers from the Falcons fans. The rookie threw a pick-six on his first career pass attempt. Strand was the first QB to accomplish that feat since Sam Darnold in 2018 and is the first Falcons player to do that since Brett Favre in 1991. Strand finished the day with 59 passing yards and 16 rushing yards.

According to reports, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is expected to make his season debut this Thursday at the Green Bay Packers. His return should help the Falcons. They are the first team since the 2008 Rams to not run any plays in the red zone after the first two games to open a season.

The bright spots for the Falcons today were the Spelman College Jaguarettes performing with the Falcons cheerleaders and Florida A&M’s marching band, The Marching 100, also performed during halftime!

Jayden Daniels gets carted off after apparent arm injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half in his game against the Dallas Cowboys. During the play, Daniels got stepped on, braced himself for the fall, and his elbow bent the wrong way. Daniels draped a towel over his head as he exited the field on the cart.

He was later ruled out.

Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow to the same arm during week nine of last season against the Washington Commanders, which led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The post NFL: Week Two Recap | Jalen Hurts did not fold; Caleb Williams exits game with injury appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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