For a second consecutive year, the Peace Corps' annual list of top volunteer-producing colleges ranks Knox College as No. 10 among small colleges and universities. The ranking is based on the fact that 11 Knox alumni are now serving as Peace Corps volunteers all over the world.

"I am thrilled Knox has made the Top 10 ranking for the second year in a row," said Knox faculty member Robin Ragan, director of the Eleanor Stellyes Center for Global Studies and the Peace Corps Preparatory Program.

"Given our small size, this is an extraordinary accomplishment," added Ragan, associate professor of modern languages (Spanish). "We are ranked side-by-side with schools over twice our size for total numbers of volunteers in the field."

The Peace Corps' list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities consists of three categories, based on school enrollment.

Knox, which enrolls about 1,400 students, is included in the category of small colleges and universities -- those with fewer than 5,000 students. Some of the other small schools in the Top 10 along with Knox are Middlebury College, Macalester College, and Grinnell College.

"A Knox education cultivates the type of student who is looking to make a difference in a sustainable way," Ragan said. "I believe that Knox's diverse student body creates a curiosity about the world, paired with mission of social justice."

Current Knox College students who are interested in the Peace Corps or other international service may participate in the College's Peace Corps Preparatory Program, the first of its kind in the nation.

The program consists of a specialized curriculum with courses in international studies, education, and foreign language study. It also includes a community service project and a chance to study abroad.

Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, nearly 200 Knox graduates have served as Peace Corps volunteers.

"The Peace Corps provides an indispensable opportunity for young people out of college to put their unique skills to work making a difference for communities around the world," said Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. "Volunteers make lasting change by living and working at the grassroots level in their communities of service and using their talents to tackle some of the most critical challenges in international development."

One of the Knox alumni to make a difference as a Peace Corps volunteer is Ben Taylor ‘07 of O'Fallon, Illinois, who served as an English education volunteer in Micronesia from 2012-14. He organized workshops and lesson-planning sessions and co-taught with fifth- through eighth-grade teachers to raise student test scores. (Photos above: Ben Taylor serves in Peace Corps.)

While a Knox student, Taylor majored in English literature, and he studied abroad in London, England, and Florence, Italy.

"Knox College is a community, both while you are a student and while you are an alum, and I found often that my time in the Peace Corps was less lonely and more effective because of the connections and friendships that I'd made during my four years there," Taylor said.