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CUE 2006

Jay Shah

Grad Student Receives Peace Corps Award

Graduate student Jay Shah was one of 11 former Peace Corps volunteers from across the nation recognized for their dedication to community service last summer. He was awarded the Franklin H. Williams Award, which pays tribute to returned Peace Corps volunteers of color who show an ongoing commitment to community service and who support the agency's goal of promoting a better understanding of other countries and peoples to Americans.

Shah served in the Peace Corps in Nepal from 2000 to 2002 where his primary assignment was to instruct third through sixth graders in English, math, and the creative arts. He often stepped beyond the boundaries of the classroom by working with local teachers in developing new curricula, tutoring students and their family members, and serving as a mentor for local youth.

After his assignment, he returned to Colorado and enrolled in CU-Boulder's environmental engineering graduate program, where he works as a graduate assistant, supporting faculty in developing an undergraduate focus area called Engineering for Developing Communities, which incorporates cross-cultural awareness and community development components.