By Scout Nelson
Eight students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have successfully earned Peace Corps Prep certificates during the 2025–26 academic year. With this achievement, the total number of program graduates has reached 33 since the initiative was launched in 2021.
The Peace Corps Prep program combines academic coursework, practical experience, and professional development opportunities to prepare students for volunteer service around the world. The program helps participants build essential skills in leadership, foreign languages, intercultural understanding, and specialized career fields. Students can focus on sectors such as agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth development.
Participants also benefit from several unique opportunities. These include the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment, study-abroad scholarships in Peace Corps countries, and engagement with returned Peace Corps volunteers. These experiences help students become stronger candidates for future Peace Corps service and other international programs.
The latest group of certificate recipients represents three academic colleges and five Peace Corps sectors. Following graduation, one student plans to serve in the Peace Corps in Mexico, one will join AmeriCorps, three will pursue master's degrees, and three will enter the workforce.
Pluto Larson, a May graduate, will serve through AmeriCorps as a student success coach with City Year in Columbia, South Carolina.
“Through the (PC Prep) program, I became more aware of my own cultural biases and learned how to better educate myself to see the world in a more holistic way,” Larson said. “The classes I took increased my intercultural communication and language abilities, opened my eyes to the histories of people served by the Peace Corps and motivated me to serve in any capacity possible.”
Another recipient, Zanib Al Razaq, plans to graduate in August. She is currently studying entrepreneurship in Mexico City and pursuing a federally funded Critical Language Scholarship for intensive Portuguese study in Brazil. She also supports immigrant and refugee women through ECHO Collective in Lincoln.
“I wanted a clearer understanding of the commitment and impact before applying (to the Peace Corps),” Al Razaq said. “I have recommended PC Prep to many of my friends and classmates because it provides strong preparation for anyone considering international service work. This experience has strengthened my goal of applying to the Peace Corps, ideally in Morocco, and pursuing a future career focused on economic development in developing countries.”
Students Related to Agriculture Sector:
The following students are directly connected to agriculture and natural resource disciplines:
- Evvie Yendra – Environmental Studies and Biological Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Environment Sector.
- Makenna Anderson – Fisheries and Wildlife and Grassland Systems, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Environment Sector.
Other program graduates included Milli Ciprian, Zanib Al Razaq, Lennon Harris, Pluto Larson, Vanessa Hubing, and Marissa Lindemann.
The Peace Corps Prep program is administered by the Global Experiences Office in partnership with the School of Global Integrative Studies. The program is open to undergraduate students from all colleges. International students may participate, although Peace Corps applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Photo Credit: nebraska-extension
Categories: Nebraska, Education