To change the world in a big way is the dream of many, and since the Sept. 11 attacks, student interest in ISU programs for volunteering abroad has increased.

“We are trying to be a little more vigilant and make sure that our students are safe,” said Nancy Guthrie, program assistant in international education services. “We have more orientation for students . and are spending more time on health and safety as a precaution.”

Iowa State offers several programs in which students can travel to a foreign country, take classes and help out the surrounding community.

The Experience Kenya trip takes students to Egerton University in Njoro, Kenya, for five weeks every summer. While in Africa, they go on weekend safaris, participate in home visits and involve themselves in service learning with local rural schools, said Luke Foster, a student assistant to the director of the program.

“It’s important as Americans, through volunteering, to help maintain a good image in the international setting,” said Foster, senior in biology and music. “Despite any terrorist activities, we can help out with something that we should always be doing.”

Last year, the students brought 1,000 trees and helped children plant them. They also brought toys, played baseball and soccer with the kids and took classes in wildlife biology and creative arts, said Sara Birkenholz, student assistant for the program.

“We learned how much people appreciate [that] we thought of them and took the time to show them that we cared,” said Birkenholz, sophomore in pre-business.

Brandon Repp, junior in economics, also attended Experience Kenya last year.

“I learned a lot about African creative arts, [such as] east African novels, poetry, and visual arts.” he said. “It was great experience working with children . and you find that making one day great out of their lives was all they really wanted.”

A new program called “In the Footsteps of the Inca” offers students an opportunity to travel to Chile this summer for the first time.

“The program offers intensive Spanish language and culture for three weeks, followed by three weeks of service learning in Chile,” said Guthrie, director of the program.

Students will receive up to eight credits for the program for Spanish language and culture and service learning. The service-learning components involve at least 20 hours of on-site service, she said.

The Peace Corps is an option for students who wish to participate in volunteering abroad after graduation. The program sends people of any age with a four-year degree into underdeveloped countries to teach language, business, agriculture and other skills.

Amy Best, graduate student in sustainable agriculture and campus Peace Corps representative, said 27 ISU alumni currently serve in the Peace Corps.

To prepare for their time with the Peace Corps, students should become involved in their local communities with volunteer work and extracurricular activities and place themselves in situations in which they are a minority, she said.

“In response to 9/11, more students than average have expressed the desire to serve their country and to help others,” Best said. “The Peace Corps is a wonderful opportunity to do both.”

Erin Stockdill, senior in animal science, said her summer studying abroad in the Ukraine gave her a different perspective of the world and led her to apply to the Peace Corps. “I loved the challenge of living in another country and learning another language,” she said.

Stockdill said the Sept. 11 attacks and the aftermath have changed the way she views volunteering abroad.

“I’m concerned that I won’t have the opportunities that I used to,” she said. “I also know that because I’m American, I’ll be discriminated against even more now.”

Many more study abroad opportunities can be found by calling the study abroad center at 294-6792, or on its Web site at www.iastate.edu/~study-abroad.