.

ranks among the top five small universities in the nation in producing Peace Corps volunteers. Many other Pacific Northwest colleges and universities are also doing their part to keep the

supplied with volunteers

The Peace Corps

last week that 20 University of Portland graduates are serving in its programs abroad. That puts the university in a tie with the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., and Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., as the fourth largest producer of Peace Corps volunteers among colleges and universities with less than 5,000 undergraduate students. St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., was the top producer with 26 of its alumni in the field.

Emily Bradvica is one of the University of Portland graduates now in the Peace Corps as a youth development volunteer in the Ancash province of northern Peru, where she lives with a host family.

"Ancash is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life, and I take every chance I get to point that out to my host familia," she wrote on her

on Jan. 30. "There are the moments that it is so easy to feel a part of this town, so easy to feel myself becoming not just a passerby, but someone who is intricately connected with nature and the people here."

The University of Portland's strong contribution to the Peace Corps reflects the mission of the private Catholic university to teach faith and service, said spokesman Joe Kuffner. All students are expected to participate in community service.

Other Oregon and Washington schools ranked among top producers of Peace Corps volunteers include Reed College in Portland and Willamette University in Salem, which each have 17 graduates serving in the Peace Corps. That puts them 12th along with Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., for producing volunteers. Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., ranked 7th with 19 graduates in the Peace Corps, and The Evergreen State College of Olympia, Wash, ranked 22 with 14 graduates serving overseas.

The University of Oregon, with 63 graduates now in the Peace Corps, ranked 11th among large colleges and universities. The University of Washington was first with 101 graduates currently volunteering for the service. Western Washington University has 38 graduates serving abroad, sixth highest among medium colleges and universities.

The Peace Corps has 7,671 volunteers in 76 countries. Last year, the Peace Corps received a record 15,000 applications, an 18 percent increase over the previous year.

--