CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- Patrick Smith joined the Peace Corps for three years after graduating from the University of North Carolina.

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It was something he’d always wanted to do, he said. He signed up and it was off to the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador where he stayed with a host family and put on health workshops and painted murals.

"It's a good opportunity to go overseas and at the same time have an awesome adventure," he said.

He’s not the only one. The University of North Carolina has moved into the top five in the Peace Corps' rankings of schools producing the most volunteers.

Liz Kane, UNC Peace Corps Recruiter, said it's that sense of adventure and desire to help that has more UNC graduates joining. Currently, the university has 81 volunteers in service which puts it in fourth place. 

"As a recruiter, I get to interview UNC students and I have to say that overall, they're impressive," said Kane. "People have commitment to service."

Kane said most of the students she sees are young, but have a lot of volunteer experience and want to learn more about other countries.

"We really want to represent the diversity of America so having more UNC students means people know more about North Carolina," she said.

When Smith came back from his three years in the Amazon, he had a lot more than just pictures to show for it. He met his Ecuadorian wife there and they now have three children.

"I had a fabulous time and you learn a different perspective that there's other ways people think in the world," Smith said. "There's other people out there that aren't really so different from you and me."