Back on Campus
Once you’ve completed your ACE program and returned to campus, there are many ways for you to continue reflecting on your experiences and building on what you learned. The ACE staff are here to help you think about how to stay engaged after your program ends.
ACE Action Plans
After returning from your ACE program, you’ll create an Action Plan to map out how you can continue building upon your ACE experiences. Your Action Plans will be unique to you, but you’ are encouraged to focus on one of the following areas:
- academic/professional skill development
- ongoing service and engagement
- issue awareness
- athletic leadership and personal development
Based on their Action Plans, past student-athletes have created service opportunities for their teams, taken language classes, pursued other related academic coursework, and applied for service post-graduate fellowships. Nearly 70% of student-athletes plan to spend a year or more on their Action Plans, allowing time to integrate these efforts around their academic and athletic commitments.
You can read stories of ACE alumni connecting their Action Plans to their academic and career goals on the ACE alumni blog. Read the ACE alumni blog.
ACE Reunions
After you are back on campus in the fall, the ACE cohort comes together through Back @Duke programming and events. These gatherings provide you with the opportunity to share your summer experiences, discuss your ACE Action Plans, and explore additional ways to build on your experiences with the help of campus resources.
ACE Ambassador Program
As an ACE alum, you have the opportunity to continue your commitment to public service and civic engagement by becoming an ACE Ambassador. This role offers leadership, mentorship, and service opportunities that support wider ACE efforts at Duke and beyond. Every ACE alum is welcome to become an ACE Ambassador.
Donor Stewardship
You’ll be asked to write a letter of thanks to a campus donor at the end of your program. You may also have the opportunity to attend donor stewardship events held at Duke.
ACE and Beyond
Your ACE experience does not end once your plane lands at the end of your program – your time participating in the ACE program continues back on campus and beyond with opportunities for further engagement and growth.
We encourage you to connect with our many partners across campus to continue building on your experience. These might include utilizing the Duke Summer Experiences database or meeting with the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (Fulbright and other post-graduate US and international opportunities), the Duke Career Center, or Directors of Academic Engagement & Specialized Advising offered through the Academic Advising Center.
Finally, we hope you’ll connect with ACE on LinkedIn. Follow our LinkedIn page, add your ACE experience to your LinkedIn profile, and join our ACE LinkedIn alumni group.
Back on Campus
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The ACE reunion is always a highlight for ACE alums to share experiences together and reflect on their summer of service. -
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ACE reunions serve as a way to build connections across ACE experiences. -
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In addition to coming together as a group to share about experiences from the summer, alums hear from staff to talk about ways to continue to build on their experience, including how to use in ACE in future professional experiences. -
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During ACE reunions, group members have a chance to reconnect and reflect together on their shared ACE experiences and work together on designing their personal ACE Action Plans. -
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When possible, ACE groups reunite with their community partners through virtual gatherings to reconnect together.
