Completed Event: Softball versus Georgia on May 18, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 5 , (F/8)
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Final
Softball
2
vs Georgia
5
In Her Own Words: Jameson Kavel
9/23/2019 1:46:00 PM | Softball
Outfielder Jameson Kavel spent her summer in South Africa with the ACE Program. Read about her time interacting with African communities and immersing herself in the culture as she reminisced in her own words.
This summer may have been my favorite one yet. I got the opportunity to go to South Africa with one of my teammates, Jazz, and 8 other student athletes from Duke and Stanford. We went through the ACE program which is a once-in-a-lifetime program dedicated to making sure that athletes get the chance to go abroad.
When I found out I was going to South Africa, I was so excited for the opportunity to interact with the communities of Nomzamo and Zola, and once I got there, I couldn't wait to get started. The first two weeks we got to run a sports camp for the youth in the community. We taught them soccer, netball, rugby, and baseball. It was so much fun to show them how to do certain drills and play these sports, especially baseball. I loved helping the kids with their swings and just sharing my love and passion for a sport with them. The third week we got to work with members of the community to show them CPR training and teach them computer skills. I really enjoyed this week because these skills can directly help so many members of the community. It was so rewarding to see the lightbulb go off in someone's head when they finally understood how to change the font color in Word or how to create a new slide in PowerPoint. One of the men who always had the biggest smile on his face told us that he was actually fired from his job for not knowing how to use a computer. He came every day, took notes, and studied every night without giving up so that he could try to get a job again. I recently found out that he actually got a job in the computer industry a few weeks after we left, and I can only imagine the true joy in his eyes and how big his smile was.
Throughout these three weeks, we also had culture sessions and immersion opportunities. We talked and met with so many different members of the community, tried to master the clicks of the Xhosa language, and got to visit museums and places of historical significance. It was so interesting to really get to dive into another culture all while getting really close to everyone there with us.
This trip helped me recognize the importance of little moments. You never know how people are affected by what you say or how you treat them. You never know what little lessons or memories that will stick with someone. I was greatly impacted by this experience and am so grateful to have been a small part of the work being done in the community of Zola. I will never forget the people I met, the memories I had, and the lessons I learned. I've taken away so much from my experiences especially about the importance of community, gratitude, and compassion.
Once I got back from South Africa, I was excited to be back with my team and dive back into softball during Summer Session 2. It was a great six weeks filled with trips to the Eno River, Frankie's Fun Park, the movies, escape rooms, and a Thomas Rhett concert. We all get along so well and have so much fun together. It's been so enjoyable to watch us get closer and work towards achieving all of our goals this coming up season. I can't wait for Team 3 to officially kick off.
This summer may have been my favorite one yet. I got the opportunity to go to South Africa with one of my teammates, Jazz, and 8 other student athletes from Duke and Stanford. We went through the ACE program which is a once-in-a-lifetime program dedicated to making sure that athletes get the chance to go abroad.
When I found out I was going to South Africa, I was so excited for the opportunity to interact with the communities of Nomzamo and Zola, and once I got there, I couldn't wait to get started. The first two weeks we got to run a sports camp for the youth in the community. We taught them soccer, netball, rugby, and baseball. It was so much fun to show them how to do certain drills and play these sports, especially baseball. I loved helping the kids with their swings and just sharing my love and passion for a sport with them. The third week we got to work with members of the community to show them CPR training and teach them computer skills. I really enjoyed this week because these skills can directly help so many members of the community. It was so rewarding to see the lightbulb go off in someone's head when they finally understood how to change the font color in Word or how to create a new slide in PowerPoint. One of the men who always had the biggest smile on his face told us that he was actually fired from his job for not knowing how to use a computer. He came every day, took notes, and studied every night without giving up so that he could try to get a job again. I recently found out that he actually got a job in the computer industry a few weeks after we left, and I can only imagine the true joy in his eyes and how big his smile was.
Throughout these three weeks, we also had culture sessions and immersion opportunities. We talked and met with so many different members of the community, tried to master the clicks of the Xhosa language, and got to visit museums and places of historical significance. It was so interesting to really get to dive into another culture all while getting really close to everyone there with us.
This trip helped me recognize the importance of little moments. You never know how people are affected by what you say or how you treat them. You never know what little lessons or memories that will stick with someone. I was greatly impacted by this experience and am so grateful to have been a small part of the work being done in the community of Zola. I will never forget the people I met, the memories I had, and the lessons I learned. I've taken away so much from my experiences especially about the importance of community, gratitude, and compassion.
Once I got back from South Africa, I was excited to be back with my team and dive back into softball during Summer Session 2. It was a great six weeks filled with trips to the Eno River, Frankie's Fun Park, the movies, escape rooms, and a Thomas Rhett concert. We all get along so well and have so much fun together. It's been so enjoyable to watch us get closer and work towards achieving all of our goals this coming up season. I can't wait for Team 3 to officially kick off.
Players Mentioned
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