Our Story

Tom Peden, the founder of World Endeavors, grew up in a very small town in northern Illinois, in a place that seemed about as far away from another country as you could get. He always had a fascination with other places and cultures, but had never been outside of the US.

As a college student, he had the opportunity to participate in a short-term service program abroad with his college concert band.  He played saxophone and toured around Venezuela with the band, giving free concerts to local communities. He met new people, learned about a new culture, and was, in his words, “blown away” by the experience. 

This trip was the first of many international experiences, as it inspired him to travel around the world and see places that he had only imagined before.

In 2002, feeling unfulfilled with his job as an IT project manager, Tom began to reflect on the value of his first trip to Venezuela.  He realized that he wanted to be able to provide this type of eye-opening experience for others. 

Tom looked at the field of international education and saw a real need for a more personalized and immersive experience that would allow people to go abroad, learn and practice a new language, and make genuine connections with people in the community.  With that inspiration, he started World Endeavors. 

The first program offered by World Endeavors in 2003 was a volunteer program in Nepal.  Study and intern abroad programs were soon added, as were more volunteer programs.  World Endeavors now offers study, volunteer, and intern abroad programs in over twenty countries on six continents, with new programs being added every year.