Faces of Berkeley: Former Squelch Editor Joins Peace Corps

Not many people make life-changing decisions based on the prophecy of a fortune cookie. But when UC Berkeley alumnus Luke Filose cracked open his cookie last year, he decided to change the direction of his life.

He enlisted in the Peace Corps.

When his fortune told him, "Maybe you could live on the moon in the next century," the former Heuristic Squelch editor read between the lines.

Filose says that his world perspective has changed since his Squelch days.

"All geopolitical realities were overshadowed by the prospect of making fun of sorority girls who wouldn't date me," Filose said about his college life.

The 26-year-old sets off for the West African country the Republic of Mauritania at the end of June to spend the next two years with nearly 3 million Muslims who suffer from drought and poverty.

"Peace Corps is a great way to jump into something that is uncommon for Americans but is a reality for two-thirds of the population of the world," Filose said.

After an intense 10-week training session, Filose will be assigned to a specific town where he will help small businesses increase their profits.

"I'm hoping to let people create their own opportunities for success," Filose said. "It's a poor country, but from what I've heard, it's not hopeless, and I know from my experience that even the poorest people can succeed with their own hard work and ingenuity."

Since graduating in 1999, Filose has been performing stand-up comedy, touring with a Ugandan children's dance troupe, working in Washington and for a non-governmental organization that aids in development in Africa.

"Once you get past the ‘Save the World' rhetoric, Peace Corps is one of the most fascinating and politically relevant opportunities for young Americans," Filose said in a statement.

More than 7,500 volunteers , over 11 percent of whom are Californians currently work for the Peace Corps.

Since 1961, UC Berkeley has been the leading source of Peace Corp volunteers, with more than 3,000 graduates volunteering. But recently, the number of volunteers sent by UC Berkeley has been overshadowed by other universities.

In 2003, UC Berkeley sent 83 graduates abroad, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison sent 124, and University of Texas, Austin sent 108.

"How could we fall so far behind a school like Wisconsin-Madison, which probably doesn't even have a decent Ethiopian restaurant?" Filose asked in a press release.

Peace Corps spokesperson Dennis McMahon speculates the reason lies in UC Berkeley students' mentality.

"It seems that students at Berkeley are much more career-oriented and are much more focused on getting out and building a career, and many people see Peace Corps as a detour from that," McMahon said. "Peace Corps is not a detour but a tool to build very marketable skills."

Filose said he hopes the skills he gains from Peace Corps will help him find the perfect job.

"I think that the biggest benefit will be getting an experience that very few other Americans have, an experience that is completely relevant to understanding the problems we face right now as a global community," Filose said.

Filose's expenses will be covered while in the Republic of Mauritania and he will receive a $6,000 award when he returns.

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