About Us
Our History
After taking a course on international development in the fall of 2002 at Harvard University, the co-founders of CollegeCorps faced a problem that many other undergraduates had encountered before—how to become personally involved in international development. They found that there were many opportunities that allowed graduates and adults to become engaged in international development, but that few programs, if any, existed that primarily sought to involve undergraduates by directly addressing their unique needs, both financial and logistical.
Nearly a year later in September 2003, after rigorous planning and extensive research, Hani Elias and Adam Kalamchi founded CollegeCorps, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. CollegeCorps not only removes all obstacles that prevent undergraduates from becoming involved in development work, but also recognizes both the present and future impact of including undergraduates in these issues. An eight or ten week international volunteer program will not only make a measurable contribution in a developing community, but will instill in undergraduates, tomorrow’s leaders, a lifelong concern for the peoples of developing countries.
The recent creation of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provided a vision around which to focus the efforts of CollegeCorps. CollegeCorps will harness the underutilized resources of undergraduate volunteers to support the UN’s strategic, measurable goals.
Recognizing that many international programs for undergraduate students emphasize study abroad rather than volunteer service, the co-founders created CollegeCorps to provide interested students the opportunity to work abroad to help improve the living conditions while gaining an invaluable cultural experience. By eliminating financial barriers, CollegeCorps will enable a more diverse group of students to benefit from international internships and become advocates for social justice.
CollegeCorps shares similar goals with the Peace Corps, but Peace Corps is limited almost exclusively to college graduates (who meet specific program requirements) who are able to commit two years of service. To provide an enhancement and not an interruption to the academic pursuits of undergraduate students, CollegeCorps will place students from various academic disciplines in summer internships abroad where they will work and gain knowledge through service learning.
Our Mission
