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In looking back at the past three weeks of ACE, I am stunned by how quickly the ACE and Vietnamese coaches formed bonds with one another. The goodbyes said on Thursday were so genuine and profound that an outsider would have no idea that these relationships were formed over fifteen two-hour Zoom calls.

I could not be happier with the way this program has played out, both in terms of our community impact as well as our ability to learn from one another virtually. Every day presented an exceptional opportunity to share across cultures, and I was blown away by the enthusiasm that was brought by all of the coaches each time we logged on. For all of the lessons we planned, I honestly feel as though we as coaches learned just as much throughout this experience.

“The goodbyes said on Thursday were so genuine and profound that an outsider would have no idea that these relationships were formed over fifteen two-hour Zoom calls.”

– Anthony Hinton

The greatest lesson for me was a much greater appreciation for the power of positivity. I was extremely impressed by the Vietnamese coaches’ approach to life and found it heartwarming that regardless of the day I may have been having I could expect nothing but smiles and excitement from 8-10pm every day. In athletics, academics, and social interactions it seems all too common that we allow ourselves to become negative and detract from our performance, yet I found myself so positively influenced by the Vietnamese coaches that I noticed our meetings were the most productive and focused portions of my day.

I hope to bring this inspirational attitude back to my team, family, friends, and community. While there were countless aspects of Vietnamese culture that I found interesting and worthy of sharing with my peers, this is the one I hope to embody the most. I cannot wait to bring my newfound perspective back to Duke as we transition into a more normal school year.

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