Media Category: 2021

Carly is a current junior on the women's track and field team. She is studying Biology with minors in Global Health and Chemistry. Prior to ACE in Place South Africa, Carly was involved in service pertaining to hunger and nutrition. View Carly's profile.

Marge is currently a junior on the Duke women’s tennis team. She is originally from Stamford, CT and participated in ACE in Place Vietnam program in the second summer session of 2021. Although it was virtual, she had an incredible experience connecting with fellow Duke student-athletes and meeting Stanford athletes through the Coach for College Program. She also got to learn a lot about Vietnamese culture, traditions, and food through many Zoom calls involving cooking each others’ favorite meals, many games and trivia questions, and developing lesson plans for Vietnamese middle school students. With an interest in mentoring and teaching, our American team in conjunction with Vietnamese college students were able to put together a program for 3-weeks in the hopes of promoting secondary education to Vietnamese middle school children and addressing the secondary school dropout rate in rural regions through lesson plans, life skills, and sports. View Marge's profile.

Duke Swimming and Diving Headshots at the Blue Devil Tower on September 12, 2020 at Durham, North Carolina.

Duke Swimming and Diving Headshots at the Blue Devil Tower on September 12, 2020 at Durham, North Carolina.

Emma is a senior at Duke University majoring in Marine Science and Conservation. She participated in the ACE in Place Thailand program in 2021. During the program, she was able to learn more about her interest in conservation and also begin to advocate for change in places like the UK. View Emma's profile.

Zach Wassmer is a sophomore on the Duke Swim Team from Richmond, Virginia. He is studying Economics, and he is interested in climate change and equity initiatives; ACE in Place South Africa offered Zach a unique opportunity to explore these interests away from home. During his ACE experience, Zach enjoyed meeting with NGO community partners and learning about the diversity of South African cultures. As an ambassador, he hopes to recruit student-athletes to the ACE program and prepare them for an incredible experience. View Zach's profile.

Duke Swimming and Diving Headshots at the Blue Devil Tower on September 12, 2020 at Durham, North Carolina.

Catherine Purnell is a sophomore on the Duke 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 ACEinplace Program in Peru virtually. While she was unable to be in Peru physically, she got to connect with other student-athletes from Duke as well as mentors and other leaders from Peru. During her time, she got to learn how to work and communicate with others across a screen and across a language barrier. She hopes to continue to do service both in the Durham community and elsewhere using these skills. View Catherine's profile.

Duke Men's Soccer in studio in Durham, NC. September 15, 2020

Stephanie is a senior on the Women's Lacrosse team at Duke. She is a ICS and History Double Major with a certificate in Islamic Studies and an ACE in Place Vietnam 2021 alum. Steph Zempolich’s past experiences with community engagement include tutoring young children through the Duke Kenan’s Institute Recently Resettled Refugees program, volunteering at Virginia Fair Oaks Hospital, and volunteering, and acting as a student director, for the Duke Catholic Center. She also volunteered through the National Honor Society in high school where she tutored elementary students and high school peers, and was an annual volunteer at the Fisher House within Walter Reed Army Medical Center. View Stephanie's profile.