Current Ambassadors
The ACE Ambassador program serves as an opportunity for ACE participants to continue developing the skills and knowledge from their ACE programs and to truly make ACE more than just a summer experience. Through the program, Ambassadors bring their ACE experiences back to their teams, campus, and communities and help prepare the next team of ACE participants.
This year, the 2023-2024 Ambassador Team comprises 19 Duke student-athletes who have participated in ACE programs as far back as summer 2021. Our Ambassadors come from a wide range of teams: 11 Duke Athletics teams are represented this year.
In addition to assisting with pre-program preparation and marketing and outreach efforts, Ambassadors engage with staff from Duke in discussions on the current state of civic engagement and how to navigate the field in an ever-changing world, how to become an effective service leader, and ways to market their skills and share their experiences in post-graduate opportunities.
Want to contact or learn more about a specific ambassador from your university or team? Find their ACE profile.
Meet the Ambassadors
Meet the Duke ACE Ambassadors from each of our programs. Learn more about their tips for applying to ACE and making the most of the experience.
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View Image 1:Michael is a junior on the Duke Men's Track and Field team. He is majoring in Public Policy, and after Duke is considering going to Law school. ACE in Costa Rica gave him the experience of a lifetime and allowed him to further explore his passions and interests.Ambassador Profile
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View Image 2:Phoebe Brinker is a senior on the Duke Women’s Golf team majoring in English and a participant in the 2022 ACE in Colorado program. Phoebe’s past experiences with community engagement include organizing charity golf tournaments, one to raise money for mental health and another to aid golf profes...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 3:Catherine Purnell is a senior on the Duke Women's Swimming and Diving team. She is studying International Comparative Studies and Global Health with a minor in Spanish. In the summer of 2021, she participated in the ACE in Place Program in Peru virtually. While she was unable to be in Peru phys...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 4:Rory Cavan is a graduate student on the cross country and track teams and participated in the ACE in South Africa program in 2023. As an Ambassador, Rory is excited about the opportunity to educate others about collaboration with community members and other student athletes in a foreign country.Ambassador Profile
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View Image 5:Mary Claire Morrison is currently a sophomore on the Duke Women's Rowing Team. She is from Atlanta, Georgia and participated in the 2023 Cape Town, South Africa program. Throughout the three week period, Mary Claire spent time teaching English to young school children, painting and refurbishin...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 6:Megan Maransky is currently a junior on the Duke Field Hockey team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She participated in the ACE in South Africa program in the summer of 2023. She worked with eleven other student-athletes from Duke and Stanford to collaborate with teachers at local Early Childhood De...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 7:Paige Knudsen participated in ACE in Place Peru in 2021 and is a member of the Duke Rowing team. Though their experience was virtual, the work of Mujer Peruana inspired them to work in the Duke Athletics community on projects such as the 5-year DEIB strategic plan.Ambassador Profile
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View Image 8:Cam Kerr is currently a graduate student on the Duke Men's Soccer team from Chapel Hill, NC. He participated in the ACE in Costa Rica program in 2023. Cam is passionate about how sports can bring a community together, something that he has experienced in both his time as a student-athlete at Du...Read More
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View Image 9:Chloe Beittel is a senior on the Duke Fencing team. She is majoring in Marine Science and Conservation with minors in Policy Journalism and Media Studies and Biology. Her ACE in Costa Rica experience in 2023 built on her classroom knowledge of the environment through the relationships she developed ...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 10:Kelsey Zampa is currently a junior on the Duke Softball team from Hartland, Michigan and participated in the ACE in Costa Rica program in 2023. Kelsey is passionate about community. Her ACE experience provided her with valuable service experience in these areas of interest, and she hopes to share he...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 11:Chelsea Proutt is a sophomore on the Duke Rowing team from Sydney, Australia. She participated in ACE in Vietnam 2023, where she taught life skills, Biology lessons and soccer to foster a love for learning and promote secondary education. She is grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with oth...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 12:Christina Ferrari is a senior co-captain of the Women's Fencing team at Duke. She is majoring in Linguistics and minoring in French and Journalism. ACE in Colorado in 2022 gave her the chance to explore her passion in environmental conservation and connect with an awesome group of athletes. She...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 13:Abby Geiser is a junior on the Duke Women's Track and Field Team. She is majoring in psychology and is passionate about connecting with others and understanding the brain and behaviors. This past summer in 2023 she participated in the ACE in South Africa program which allowed her to meet many f...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 14:KyAnh Truong is a member of the Duke Women's Swimming and Diving team and participant in the ACE in Place Vietnam 2022 program. Her past experiences with community engagement includes volunteering at a Vietnamese temple to help teach kids how to read, write and speak Vietnamese as well as volun...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 15:Charlotte van Oirschot is a senior on the field hockey team and participated in the South Africa program in 2023. Charlotte is looking forward to prepar all Duke student-athletes who are interested in ACE for unique experiences by providing her personal experience and tips about ACE.Read More
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View Image 16:Megan McGinnis is currently a junior on the Duke Women's Track & Field team and is majoring in Earth & Climate Sciences. She participated in ACE in Costa Rica during summer 2023, where she was able to explore two areas of interest through environmental conservation and immersion in Span...Read More
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View Image 17:Seamus Harding is a senior on the Men's Duke Swimming and Diving Team. He is studying Psychology, receiving a Bachelor of Science, and minoring in Music. Once he graduates from Duke, Seamus is hoping to work at a marketing firm in New York City or in San Francisco. He also would love to go into...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 18:Jala Wright is currently a senior on the Duke softball team. She is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and participated in the ACE Costa Rica in 2023. She had an impactful experience working with Duke student-athletes and Stanford student-athletes to help grow the town of Gandoca, Costa Rica ...Ambassador Profile
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View Image 19:Conor Bohrer is a junior on the Duke Men's Cross Country and Track and Field teams majoring in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and religion. As a member of the ACE-in-Place Thailand 2023 team, he was able to explore, develop, and share his passion for environmental conservation by spearhe...Ambassador Profile