FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, March 24, 2023

PEACE CORPS DIRECTOR CAROL SPAHN VISITS NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY AND SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA) FOR THE PEACE CORPS PREP PROGRAM

(Durham, N.C. | Friday, March 24, 2023) – As part of Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn’s three-day swing in North Carolina, she visited North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham and met with NCCU’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Angela Alvarado Coleman to celebrate the five-year renewal of Peace Corps’ prep program at the University.

Peace Corps’ Prep programs create a framework through integrated coursework for undergraduate students to build key competencies, including sector-specific skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional leadership. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a certificate from the Peace Corps—and a competitive edge when applying for Peace Corps service.

During the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing ceremony, Director Spahn and Vice Chancellor Dr. Coleman reflected on the partnership between the Peace Corps and NCCU, including their shared strong organizational values, the importance of providing opportunities for service to students from historically black colleges and universities, and the critical need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in career readiness programs.

The state of North Carolina had 217 Volunteers serve before Peace Corps evacuated all Volunteers in March 2020, and nearly 5,000 Volunteers from North Carolina have served in Peace Corps since the founding of the agency in 1961.

North Carolina Central University has had 22 alumni serve in the Peace Corps since 1961, has one alum currently serving in the Peace Corps, and three alumni who have accepted invitations to serve, departing in August and September 2023.

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