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The ACE in Place Vietnam team is thrilled to be teaming up with Coach for College. We have the opportunity to work alongside our Vietnamese coaches to help teach academic and life skills lessons to kids in Vietnam. With our Vietnamese counterparts we will create lesson plans and videos to share with the kids! Also, we will take part in cultural exchange activities to help learn about everyone.

Our first week has been a great success in teaching but has also been a blast sharing our cultures with one another. We look forward to continuing to create exciting lesson plans and cultivating relationships with our friends in Vietnam! Tạm biệt! (Bye!)

Meet the Team

female headshot wearing duke shirt

Sydney Simmons

I am a senior on the Duke Women’s Soccer team majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. I am participating in ACE from my hometown, Van Alstyne, Texas. I was so eager to participate in the Vietnam program because I wanted to gain a better understanding of the world and other cultures, and this program in particular allows a lot of close group work with the Vietnamese college students. Already, I have learned so much through the cultural exchange activities that we have each meeting. I am on a life skills team with Hwin Ngân and Tâm, and I teach physics with Hång and Hwin Ngân. Every person in the program has been such a pleasure to work with and to get to know, and I look forward to all that we will experience together in the upcoming weeks.


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Addie Stonecipher

I am a rising junior on Stanford’s Women’s Gymnastics team. I am a product design major and will be participating in ACE from Stanford’s campus. I am excited to participate in the program this summer because I have missed forming new connections with people since the start of covid and I love working with kids! I am teaching physics with Hång and Hwin Ngân and am on the life skills team with Trúc. So far, the highlight of ACE has definitely been the Vietnamese coaches. They have been so welcoming and are some of the kindest people I have ever met.


female headshot wearing duke shirt

Kayle Park

I am a rising junior on the Duke Women’s Swim and Dive team. I am majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Economics. This summer I am participating in the ACE in Vietnam program from my hometown, Arlington, VA. What stood out to me the most about the Vietnam program, was the close work we would be doing with other Vietnamese college students, learning more about each other’s cultures as well as more about each other. Considering this part of the program so far, the best part of this experience has definitely been the unparalleled enthusiasm from the other Vietnamese college coaches. I am on the life skills team with Naima and Nguyen, as well as the math dragon team with Chris and Ngan. Every meeting we’ve had the coaches have come extremely prepared and excited to discuss not only the lesson plans but also about each other’s days.


female headshot wearing duke shirt

Elizabeth Reneau

I am a rising senior on the Duke Women’s Cross Country and Track team studying Public Policy and Economics. This summer, I am participating in ACE from Austin, Texas. I am excited to be participating in the Vietnam program because it truly emphasizes friendship development and the understanding of new perspectives. The highlight of the program thus far has been my interactions with our Vietnamese coaches. Their passion for teaching and love of life has been inspiring. I have the privilege of working with Trang in the life skills section of this program and Truc Ngo & Thi Tam Vo while teaching English. From sharing pictures of our daily lives to dancing together over zoom, I have greatly enjoyed each moment spent with the Vietnamese coaches. I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks with this wonderful group!


female headshot wearing duke shirt

Naima Turbes

I am a rising junior running Duke Cross Country and Track & Field. I am also majoring in neuroscience and public policy on a pre-med track. This summer, I am excited to participate in the first session of the ACE in Place in Vietnam program from my home in Atlanta, GA. Thus far, the highlight of the ACE in Place experience has been fangirling with my fellow American coach Kayle and Vietnamese coach Nguyen about the TV show Outer Banks. I cannot wait to laugh about more TV shows, build relationships, and find creative ways to teach Biology and life skills this summer!


Anthony Hinton

I am a rising junior on the Duke Football team and am majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry and French. I am thrilled to be participating in ACE from Durham, North Carolina. I was most excited to join ACE for the opportunity to engage with a new culture as well as make an impact on a new community, and so far my experience has exceeded expectations in every way. The Vietnamese coaches I have been working with, Truc and Tam, have been extremely welcoming and diligent workers. The highlight of the program has been working with Truc and Tam and hearing about how the students are progressing each day. I’m looking forward to what the next few weeks will bring!


Chris Theodore

I am a rising senior on the Duke Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams. I am majoring in Economics with a minor in Computer Science. This summer, I am participating in ACE from my hometown of Denver, Colorado! ACE this summer, although virtual, offers a new opportunity to engage with others abroad and enable meaningful reflection for myself and peers. In just the few short days that I have participated in ACE, I have cherished all the moments of laughter and comraderies of our group. Our fellow Vietnamese coaches are the kindest people I have ever met. I am teaching math with Kayle and Ngân and am on the Red Team with Keeley,Ngân, and Hằng.


Sydney Steele

I am an incoming junior on the Stanford Softball team, and I am majoring in bioengineering. I am super excited to be participating from my dorm room at Stanford to immerse myself in a new culture. Thus far I have not only learned so much about Vietnam, I have been able to form such strong bonds with the Vietnamese coaches and create some amazing friendships that will go beyond the realm of ACE. And this wonderful partner of mine is named Trang. She is super sweet, kind, and so passionate about the students that she inspires me and makes me eager to hop on Zoom every day and get to work.


Keeley Akagi

I am a rising junior at Stanford University. I am a Science, Technology, and Society major with a concentration in Health and Life Sciences and also on Stanford’s Field Hockey team. I am very excited to be participating in ACE this summer from San Diego, California! I am so excited to be working with other college students from Vietnam and to learn more about the education system and daily activities from people around the globe. The highlight of the program thus far has been getting to see the students introduce themselves and hear about their favorite hobbies. I have the ability to teach Biology with Naima and Nguyên and my fellow Red Teammates are Chris, Hằng, and Ngân.

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