DePaul alumnus Andrew Resor (LAW '12) is one of 22 Blue Demons currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers worldwide. Since 2016, Resor has taught business and leadership skills to entrepreneurs and community members as a community economic development volunteer in Namibia. (Image courtesy of the Peace Corps)The Peace Corps ranked DePaul University No. 11 among medium schools on the agency's 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. It is the first time DePaul has been included on the annual list.
DePaul currently has 22 Blue Demons volunteering worldwide. Andrew Resor, a DePaul alumnus who earned a Juris Doctor from the College of Law in 2012, is one example. He has been serving as a community economic development volunteer in Namibia since April 2016.
In Namibia, located on Africa's southwest coast, Resor teaches business and leadership skills to entrepreneurs and community members. He also acts as a consultant to the local chamber of commerce, providing strategy and growth mechanisms to improve capital management.
Resor credits DePaul for encouraging him to pursue public service after graduation.
"DePaul University makes service opportunities a priority for its student body and staff," he says. "The principle and idea of service is present on DePaul's campus. The Law School, for example, encouraged law clinics, pro bono work and public service careers. I believe that alumni leaving DePaul feel the need to continue serving their communities."
DePaul is recognized nationally for its service learning programs. Every year, DePaul students complete hundreds of thousands of service work hours in Chicago and around the globe.
In addition to DePaul providing service learning opportunities, Resor adds the university also allowed him to develop time and project management skills.
"Those are skills I use daily here in Namibia," he says. "I grew personally and professionally because I was challenged with my classwork, projects and presentations at DePaul."
In June, Resor will complete his Peace Corps service. He intends to stay in the public service sector and work with nonprofit organizations to help implement their mission.
Since the agency's founding in 1961, 394 DePaul graduates have served as Peace Corps volunteers in communities around the world.
"Peace Corps service is a profound expression of the idealism and civic engagement that colleges and universities across the country inspire in their alumni," says acting Peace Corps director Sheila Crowley. "As Peace Corps volunteers, recent college and university graduates foster capacity and self-reliance at the grassroots level, making an impact in communities around the world. When they return to the United States, they have new, highly sought-after skills and an enterprising spirit that further leverages their education and strengthens their communities back home."
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here . An interactive map that shows where alumni from each university are serving is available here.