From Vision to Wall: Celebrating the Peace Corps at UVM
New Mural Celebrates Peace Corps’ Global Impact at UVM By Ty Dávila, Research Contributor at the New Lines Institute The University of Vermont has long been recognized for its strong connection to the Peace Corps, consistently ranking among the nation’s top institutions for volunteer participation. In 2018, UVM achieved the No. 2 spot for Peace Corps involvement, and in 2025, the university was ranked third among medium-sized schools, reflecting a campus culture deeply committed to global service and supporting communities in need. This enduring dedication helps cultivate students who engage meaningfully with the world beyond Vermont. Since 1961, the Peace...
Hispanic Heritage Month: Lost in Translation—Found in Service
By Jeannette (Jenny) Sanchez, Mike Roman, and Orrin Luc Hispanic Heritage Month invites us to celebrate the rich diversity and complexity of identity—and what better way to do that than through the stories of three Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who challenged expectations and built bridges around the world. Two of our storytellers proudly identify as Mexican American—yet neither grew up speaking Spanish. One served as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Ukraine and Guyana, navigating cultures and climates far from their abuela’s kitchen. The other found themselves in the remote Pacific islands of Kiribati, where the language wasn’t Spanish, and...
The Question That Changed My Life: A Peace Corps Story to Raise Deaf Awareness
By Joshua Josa “How are you 25, finished your BA, and already a teacher? I’m older than you and in Class 8 for the fourth year.” When I first applied to the Peace Corps after finishing my BA at Cal State University, Northridge, I imagined two years of teaching, service, and adventure. I didn’t anticipate how profoundly the experience would change me—how the communities I served could show me so much value in sign languages and deaf ways of being. From 2009 to 2011, I served as a Deaf Education and Behavior Communication and Change Volunteer in Kenya. My time...
Reimagining Belonging in the Peace Corps: DEIA Panel Elevates Voices of Identity, Resistance, and Inclusion
At Peace Corps Connect 2025, the panel "Reimagining Belonging in the Peace Corps: Inclusion, Identity, and Impact" brought a deeply resonant and transformative conversation to the forefront of national service. Moderated by NPCA Board Member Jeffrey Janis (Ukraine 2004–06), the panel featured Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Josh Josa (Kenya 2010–12), Nicole Banister (South Africa 2013–16), and Deena Duwaik (Morocco 2016–18), each offering rich, intersectional perspectives on identity, equity, and representation. Josh Josa, a Deaf RPCV and former USAID DEIA advisor, spoke with clarity and conviction about the systemic barriers and breakthroughs experienced by volunteers with disabilities. His insights highlighted not...
Congress is Back…What’s Next?
Right after Labor Day, Congress returned to Capitol Hill following its weeks-long summer recess. A heavy agenda with a number of controversial matters are in store for members of the House and Senate. What’s next for matters pertaining to the Peace Corps? And how can you help? Peace Corps Funding: The annual appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) spending is virtually certain to – as has been the case for many years – be incomplete when the new federal fiscal year begins on October 1st. Work in September has been further complicated by the Trump administration’s proposal to...
Meet Our New 2025 Board Directors
National Peace Corps Association welcomes new Board Directors! We had an exceptional group of board candidates for the 2025 board elections, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who applied and shared their passion, expertise, and vision. Choosing just a few among so many outstanding individuals was no easy task. The six new board directors will officially begin as of the annual board meeting on September 27. As we look ahead, we also want to extend heartfelt thanks to our departing Board Directors—Faith Van Gilder, Gretchen Upholt, and Michael Roman—for their invaluable contributions and years of dedicated service. Their leadership...
Jack’s Journey to Stand Up for Service
Jack's Journey to Stand Up for Service By Hayden Johnson (NPCA Communications Intern) From the remote villages of East Cameroon to the capital city of Yaoundé, Jack Alperstein’s (Cameroon 2017-2020) Peace Corps journey exemplifies not only dedication to global service but also a remarkable ability to reflect and communicate his experience. Through his blog, Jack and the Peace Corps, Alperstein brings his readers into the daily realities, challenges, and successes of international volunteer work with clarity, humility, and heart. Alperstein’s Peace Corps Experience Between 2017 and 2019, Alperstein served as a Health Volunteer in the East Region of Cameroon, where...