Media Category: South Africa

Thaïs Rolly is a sophomore on the women's cross country and track teams at Duke University. In the summer of 2024, she participated in the South Africa ACE program, where she worked with various youth programs in the township of Langa. She helped teach English in Early Childhood Development Centers and assist in running an after-school program that developed youth sport and academic understanding. During her experience, she most cherished the connections made with the local youth and learning about Cape Town's complex history and vibrant culture.

Jeremy Kain is a junior on the cross-country and track teams. He is studying Economics with a concentration in Finance. He participated in the ACE in South Africa program in 2024. As an ambassador, he is excited to educate others about the opportunities that ACE has to offer and how it impacted his life. Jeremy is passionate about how sports can unite communities, creating his own running camp for kids in his town to attend throughout the school year!

Monica Balakrishnan is a junior on the Women's Fencing team at Duke from Houston, Texas. She is majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Political Science and Chemistry and loves meeting new people and hearing their stories. This past summer in 2024 she participated in the ACE in South Africa program and had an unforgettable time experiencing the diverse culture, taking in breath-taking sights and learning about people's journeys.

Josie is currently a junior at Duke and a member of the Diving Team. She is studying Economics along with a Markets and Management Studies certificate. Josie took part in the 2024 ACE trip to Cape Town with 11 other student athletes. She enhanced her knowledge about the rich culture of Cape Town as well as learnt the basics of Khosa. Organizing games and teaching the children new songs were the highlights of her time spent in the primary schools.

Yannis is a junior diver on the Duke Swim and Dive team, from Westchester, New York. His undergraduate focus is in medicine, and ACE has been a huge factor in playing into this balance between both directly and indirectly having an impact on people. He finds that it is crucial to approach this from a multi-faceted standpoint, not just healing people physically but from a mental and emotional dimension as well. He loves the fact that ACE has allowed him to form relationships that he will never forget, and bring him closer to groups of people that allows him to understand the world in a broader and more tangible way. He believes it is how you make people feel that is most important, and this is what has intrigued him about both pursuing medicine and civic engagement---it stems from the same root!

Vaya Chhabra is a Junior on the Duke Rowing Team and is from Charlottesville, Virginia. She is majoring in economics and global health and plans to pursue a career in medicine. She participated in the 2024 ACE in South Africa program, teaching English to children in Langa, a local township, through games, songs and crafts alongside 11 other Duke athletes. She also spent time planning a sports camp, learning how to play rugby, and volunteering at Ladles of Love, a non-profit that works to provide nourishing meals to communities in Cape Town, especially young children. This experience highlighted the power of education and sport in bringing people together and left Vaya with a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of ACE. The impact the Langa community left on her is indelible, and she is looking forward to encouraging others to join ACE and make connections of their own.

Sean Morello is a sophomore on the Men's Track and Field & Cross Country Teams from Berkeley, California. He participated in the South Africa 2024 project. Sean wants to bring what he learned abroad about global cooperation and education to his studies in Public Policy and Political Economy. As an ambassador, he is excited to promote the value of ACE to future cohorts of student athletes.

Madeline Meredith is a junior on the Women's Duke Swim and Dive team from Louisville, KY. Along with 11 other Duke student-athletes, she participated in the summer 2024 ACE program in Cape Town, South Africa. Together, they teamed up with teachers at Early Childhood Development Centers to introduce new methods of teaching English as a second language to children. They also partnered with VUSA to organize sports camps for boys ages 9-11 in a local township. While in South Africa, she immersed herself in the country's rich history and traditions by visiting historical landmarks and museums, all while experiencing Cape Town's vibrant modern culture.