Rubenstein-Bing ACE Program Enters Eighth Year

Rubenstein-Bing ACE Program Enters Eighth Year

5/17/2023 1:00:00 PM | Cross Country, Fencing, Field Hockey, Men's Soccer, Rowing, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Athletics

ACE Program

DURHAM – The Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) is set to offer its immersive summer service experiences for the eighth consecutive year in 2023.

This summer marks the return of ACE's in-person international programming after a three year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ACE program, a collaboration between Duke and Stanford Athletics, will offer international in-person programming in South Africa, Vietnam, and a new location in Costa Rica for summer 2023. This summer, ACE will also continue its virtual international program option with a virtual program that focuses on community partners in Thailand.

The ACE program provides full-funding for selected Duke and Stanford student-athletes to participate in three-week, immersive summer service experiences with international community partners. The program is made possible by the generous support of David Rubenstein and Peter and Helen Bing. The ACE program reflects Duke and Stanford's shared missions of public service and international engagement, and to date, remains the only two-university international service program designed specifically for student-athletes.

ACE SUMMER 2023 EXPERIENCE:
Nineteen Duke and 21 Stanford student-athletes have been selected for the ACE Summer 2023 programs. They will work on collaborative service projects, form relationships across the Duke and Stanford athletic community, and connect with community partners around the world. The Costa Rica program is a new addition this year where student-athletes will engage in conservation work in the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge and work on conservation-focused projects with local community members. In Vietnam, student-athletes will partner with Vietnamese college students to teach academics and sports to youth living in rural Vietnam. In South Africa, student-athletes will engage in community and youth development work, including running afterschool sports workshops for local youth and maintaining facilities for youth education such as libraries and gardens in partnership with local organizations based in Cape Town. The ACE program will maintain one virtual program for summer 2023, ACE in Place Thailand, providing student-athletes with a more flexible option to participate in ACE. They will support Shark Guardian, a UK-based organization focused on marine conservation, education, and supporting and promoting shark conservation efforts in Thailand and around the world. The virtual program allows student-athletes to participate while living on campus, taking summer classes, or remotely from their hometowns around the world.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer our ACE program in-person again this summer after the challenges posed by the pandemic. It's been a difficult journey to navigate, but we've come out stronger and more committed than ever to providing opportunities for student-athletes to engage in service and partner with communities around the world. The response from our Duke and Stanford student-athletes has been truly energizing - they are eager to participate, collaborate, and connect with their fellow Duke and Stanford student-athletes and community partners. At the same time, we recognize that not everyone can travel or may have other commitments, which is why we are continuing to offer a virtual option that allows for greater flexibility. We are grateful to be able to offer this unique program thanks to the support of our generous funders, and we can't wait to see what our student-athletes will learn and experience this summer." - Emily Durham, ACE Program Director

After their ACE experiences, student-athletes have the opportunity to serve as ACE Ambassadors and provide a pathway to further leadership opportunities with the program. Twenty-four past ACE participants volunteered to serve as ACE Ambassadors during the 2022-2023 academic year, representing the 2019 - 2022 cohorts.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING AND WHEN:
ACE participants will work closely with program leaders who will facilitate team building, encourage meaningful opportunities for group reflection, manage community partner relationships, offer mentorship and support during project work, track project progress, and organize cultural enrichment opportunities.

*NEW* ACE in Costa Rica (in-person)

June 16 - July 7
Student-athletes will work on conservation-focused projects with local community members in the Costa Rican village of Gandoca to promote wildlife and ecosystem conservation and sustainable resource use. Projects will be focused on assisting with sustainable agriculture practices, supporting the overall ecological health of the area, and conserving the local sea turtle population. Cultural enrichment activities will include opportunities to visit organic chocolate and coffee farms, take guided hikes through the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, and engage in Spanish language lessons and local cooking classes.

ACE in South Africa (in-person)
June 26 - July 15
Student-athletes will contribute to self-empowerment and sustainable development projects in communities around Cape Town through educational and sports workshops and will support local outreach and educational awareness programs. ACE participants will work alongside community partners in projects working with local schools, NGOs and/or social enterprises that are addressing youth education and environmental conservation in Cape Town. Student-athletes will learn more about the history of Apartheid through trips to Robben Island and the District 6 Museum as well as the unique environmental features by visiting Table Mountain and going on a Cape Point Peninsula tour.

ACE in Vietnam (in-person)
June 26 - July 15

Student-athletes will live and work with Vietnamese college students who are also participating in the program as first-time volunteers. Together, they will teach academic subjects, coach sports, and lead life skills sessions at a summer day camp organized by Coach for College at a local middle school in the Mekong Delta of rural Southern Vietnam. The student-athletes will also travel together on the two weekends during the camp, one to experience C?n Tho City, where many of the Vietnamese college students are from, and the other to stay on a large island in the Mekong River, learning more about traditional daily activities and culture of Vietnam's rural south.

ACE in Place Thailand (virtual)
June 25 – July 13

Student-athletes will virtually support Shark Guardian, a UK-based organization dedicated to advancing the conservation of sharks and the natural environment in Thailand through conservation, education, and research projects. ACE participants will also learn to cook a Thai dish from a local community-based NGO, participate in a Muay Thai martial arts class, and learn about Thai culture from community experts.

WHO ARE THE 2023 DUKE ACE STUDENT-ATHLETES:
For the summer of 2023, forty student-athletes have been accepted to ACE community engagement programs. Nine Duke teams and 15 Stanford teams are represented among the participants this year. Five student-athletes who participated in ACE in Place virtual programs in 2022 and 2021 will return to engage in international in-person service programs this summer.

Duke's ACE 2023 Participants

Chloe Beittel ('24) – Women's Fencing | ACE in Costa Rica
Cameron Kerr ('23) – Men's Soccer | ACE in Costa Rica
Jala Wright ('24) – Softball | ACE in Costa Rica
Kelsey Zampa ('25) – Softball | ACE in Costa Rica
Michael Bennett ('25) – Men's Track & Field |ACE in Costa Rica
Megan McGinnis ('25) – Women's Track & Field | ACE in Costa Rica
Rory Cavan ('23) – Men's Track & Field + Cross Country | ACE in South Africa
Megan Maransky ('25) – Field Hockey | ACE in South Africa
Charlotte van Oirschot ('25) – Field Hockey | ACE in South Africa
Mary Claire Morrison ('26) – Rowing | ACE in South Africa
Michael Volpe ('25) – Men's Swimming & Diving | ACE in South Africa
Abby Geiser ('25) – Women's Track & Field | ACE in South Africa
Chelsea Proutt ('26) – Rowing | ACE in Vietnam
Grace Norair ('25) – Field Hockey | ACE in Vietnam
Julia Boyet ('24) – Softball | ACE in Vietnam*
Lillie Walker ('24) – Softball | ACE in Vietnam*
Seamus Harding Jr. ('24) – Men's Swimming & Diving | ACE in Vietnam*
Conor Bohrer ('25) – Men's Track & Field + Cross Country | ACE in Place Thailand
Matyas Csiki-Fejer ('24) – Men's Track & Field + Cross Country | ACE in Place Thailand

*Denotes ACE participant who previously completed an ACE in Place virtual program in 2021 or 2022.

"Participating in ACE this summer is important to me for the friendships and relationships I'll develop with fellow student-athletes at Duke and Stanford and the community partners we'll work with. I'm so excited to participate and have an experience abroad that will fulfill my goals to have a positive social, community, and environmental impact both on the program and after." - Chloe Beittel, Fencing, ACE in Costa Rica

"Participating in ACE in Vietnam this summer is worth so much to me. As I partook in ACE in Place Vietnam last summer, I formed many friendships with other Duke student-athletes, Stanford student-athletes, and my fellow Vietnamese coaches. I was drawn back to the idea of actually going in person to Vietnam, so I could finish what I started last summer." - Seamus Harding Jr., Swimming and Diving, ACE in Vietnam

For more information on ACE in Place, visit www.ace.duke.edu

#GoDuke