Peace Corps Honors Pomona
By Susan Hoang
Staff Writer

Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez honored Pomona last Wednesday in a ceremonial dedication of a Peace Pole that read, "May peace prevail on earth" in English, Spanish, French and Chinese.

In an informal luncheon, Vasquez praised Pomona for its commitment in encouraging students to join the Corps. He thanked all past volunteers who were present and presented the Career Office with a plaque. He mentioned that among small colleges, Pomona is often in the top 25 that send students for service in the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps honors those colleges that it deems highly dedicated to the service. Pomona is the first site to receive a peace pole.

"It really is an honor to be the first site. It really highlights our commitment to educating students to be of service to the public," said President Peter Stanley.

Asked why Pomona was chosen to receive the pole, Vasquez said, "Pomona has a tremendous history of proudly, successfully, teaching a culture of service, and we are grateful for that. A lot of it is recognition that liberal arts students have a certain adaptability, agility that Peace Corps service requires."

Currently, eleven Pomona alumni are serving in ten countries in the Corps. Pomona has sent over 250 alumni to the Peace Corps since its inception. The Career Development Office has been responsible for directing many students to consider the Corps after they graduate.

"We want to make sure that [students know] there's a lot more outside of business. For most students, what they do when they graduate is not what they're going to be doing for 20 to 30 years," said Director of the Career Development Office Carl Martellino.

President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961. It was started not only to improve the quality of life in countries around the world, but also to promote interaction with people at all levels who would normally have preconceived notions about life in the U.S. Countries send requests to the Peace Corps to have volunteers sent. The program has grown in popularity over the years and is on the verge of expanding the number of countries it serves. It was recently granted the largest monetary appropriation in its history by the U.S. Congress.