Auburn University bringing first Peace Corps recruiter to Alabama

The Auburn University Office of International Programs has partnered with the Peace Corps to bring the first dedicated recruiter for the international development program to the state of Alabama.

Amanda Denney, a 2008 Auburn graduate with a bachelor's degree in secondary English language arts, will serve as a resource for Auburn students and others throughout the state interested in Peace Corps service. While Denney will be stationed at Auburn, she will also travel to other parts of the state to make presentations and meet with potential volunteers at other universities.

Denney volunteered with Peace Corps in 2012, serving two years in Burkina Faso in West Africa. During her service she taught English, coordinated projects for World AIDS Day and facilitated women's empowerment activities.

Denney said she would not have considered Peace Corps as an option for herself if she hadn't been encouraged to do so by others. And now she is inspired to help future volunteers discover ways in which they can serve as well.

"Just because you don't have a traditional development background doesn't mean you can't do good work abroad," Denney said. "If you want to do Peace Corps, you are qualified to do Peace Corps. Everything else you learn once you get there."

The Peace Corps has been a leader in international development and citizen diplomacy for more than 50 years across more than 140 countries with more than 220,000 current and returned volunteers. Since Peace Corps' inception in 1961, Auburn has produced more than 300 volunteers.

"Auburn students are very interested in ways they can serve communities both at home and abroad," said Andy Gillespie, Auburn University assistant provost for international programs. "In the past five years we've seen significant growth in service-related programs abroad. We're excited to offer students at Auburn and around the state a new resource to help meet their goals and explore a way to serve abroad they may not have otherwise considered."

Peace Corps spokesperson Jessica Mayle said they are thrilled to support an on-campus recruiter at Auburn.

"By sharing their personal stories from service and building relationships with academic departments and student organizations, campus recruiters are uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of volunteers and help spread awareness of Peace Corps' mission," Mayle said. "We can't wait to see a surge in applications and volunteers from Auburn."

For information about the Office of International Programs, go to www.auburn.edu/international.