Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement

Ready to help: More Class of 2009 members headed to service jobs

May 7, 2009

Graduates applying in record numbers to Peace Corps, Teach for America

BOULDER, Colo. - Thuy Huynh, a top scholar graduating from the University of Colorado, said she has long been on the receiving end of education.

Now, the sociology graduate who has always enjoyed tutoring said she wants to give back.

She's among an increasingly competitive pool of freshly minted college graduates applying for Teach for America, a program that places graduates in struggling inner-city or rural schools, where they earn starting salaries and are required to make a two-year commitment.

CU will confer 5,282 degrees at its spring commencement today, sending graduates into an uncertain economy that's prompted more to seek alternative career paths. For many, though, civic engagement has long been part of their post-college plans.

Service programs that pay modest salaries or education stipends, and attract civic-minded college graduates -- including Teach for America, Peace Corps and AmeriCorps -- are soaring in popularity this year and becoming more competitive.

Nationally, more than 35,000 people applied for just 4,000 Teach for America spots, about a 40 percent jump since last year.

Huynh -- who earned a prestigious Boettcher Scholarship, which is awarded to 40 Colorado students every year and covers four years of in-state college -- was recruited for Teach for America, and is now on a waitlist for a position. She expects to find out later this month if she has been selected, and has marked teaching elementary school in Denver, Houston, the Bay Area or Honolulu as her favored track.

She said teaching in an elementary school is among her career goals, as she can help young students set their eyes on higher education and get excited about learning.

As a kid, Huynh was interested in "whodunit" books and loved solving puzzles. In college, she earned a grant and worked as an intern with the Aurora Police Department in the fraud unit -- helping investigate a ring of people defrauding banks with fake checks.

"I had an amazing teacher in fourth and fifth grade, and I've wanted to teach since then," Huynh said.

Service programs have the president's endorsement. Last month, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will increase federal funding for volunteer and service programs. The act will more than triple the number of positions in the AmeriCorps program, from 75,000 to 250,000, by 2017.

The law also increases the existing AmeriCorps educational stipend offered to volunteers from $4,725 to $5,350.

The Peace Corps -- which sends volunteers abroad to work in diverse fields including health, agriculture, HIV and AIDS education and prevention, information technology and business development -- is also seeing a surge in its applications.

CU could be positioned to become the top-producing school for Peace Corps volunteers, said Peter Simons, director of CU-Boulder's Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement. With 102 alumni serving, CU's Boulder campus ranked No. 2 in the 2009 rankings.

Since, there has been a 43 percent increase in the number of Colorado residents who have submitted Peace Corps applications this year compared to the same time last year, said Shannon Borders, a spokeswoman for the organization.

"I think the economy plays a role, but you are finding more service-oriented curriculum at college campuses," Borders said.

The organization encourages people to apply a year in advance, and Peace Corps requires three months of training, and a two-year service commitment.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at (303) 473-1132 or anasb@dailycamera.com

In the News » Ready to help: More Class of 2009 members headed to service jobs