Eight University of Nebraska–Lincoln students earned a certificate from the Peace Corps for successfully completing the Peace Corps Prep program. They are the first Nebraska students to receive the certificate since the program launched in September 2021.

Integrating coursework, hands-on experience and professional development, Nebraska’s Peace Corps Prep program prepares undergraduates for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service by building four core competencies: sector-specific skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional savvy and leadership. Each student focuses on one Peace Corps sector: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, or youth in development.

Students can take the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment upon acceptance and completion, receive a study abroad scholarship up to $5,000, and engage with peers and local returned Peace Corps volunteers through events, mentorship and group volunteer experiences. Certificate recipients gain a competitive edge when applying for Peace Corps service.

The first group of recipients represents four academic colleges and five Peace Corps sectors. They received the Lieding Global Impact Scholarship to study in Argentina, Costa Rica, Portugal and Zambia, studying a language used in Peace Corps and/or visiting a country where Peace Corps has worked.

Following is a list of students who completed Peace Corps Prep in spring 2023, listed alphabetically by hometown, with their academic major(s), college(s) and Peace Corps sector.

Nebraska

• Alma: Sadie Ritter, global studies and Russian, College of Arts and Sciences, education
• Lincoln: Devan Buescher, international business and management, College of Business, community economic development; Katie Nelsen, management, College of Business, community economic development; Kenzie Steiner, elementary education, College of Education and Human Sciences, education
• Omaha: Lucy Peterkin, business and law, College of Business, community economic development

Elsewhere

• Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Emily Trouba, political science, College of Arts and Sciences, youth in development
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: AJ Pugh, nutrition, exercise and health sciences, College of Education and Human Sciences, health
• Kigali, Rwanda: Benjamin Niyodusenga, integrated science, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, agriculture

The Global Experiences Office administers the Peace Corps Prep program in partnership with the School of Global Integrative Studies. The program is open to undergraduate students from all colleges. To learn more, click here or contact Rebecca Baskerville at rlbaskerville@unl.edu.