Media Category: Student-Athlete Ambassadors

Valerie is a junior on the Stanford Women’s Track and Field team. She participated in the ACE in India program during the summer of 2018. During the summer, she worked at a local school as well as a local organization, Butterflies, that reaches out to street-connected children. At Butterflies, she learned about many of the organization’s programs, including one where children operate their own bank in order to save money for bigger purchases. She is double majoring in Psychology and Management Science and Engineering. The program exposed her to different ways of life and changed her perspective on service and the ethics of doing service work. Valerie’s experience in India sparked her excitement to learn more about how she can use and improve her new skills and understanding to reach out to other communities. Valerie has been an ACE Ambassador for a year now; she enjoys contributing to the program and preparing student-athletes for their ACE experience! View Valerie's ambassador profile.

Julia is a senior on the Stanford Women’s Lacrosse team. Last year she helped her team compete in and win the inaugural Pac-12 Conference title. During the 2018 season, Julia was a Pac-12 Academic All-American Honorable Mention. During her ACE summer (2018), she traveled to New Delhi for three weeks as a member of the ACE in India team. During her time with ACE, Julia was placed in Action for Autism, a local health NGO dedicated to providing elementary and vocational education to individuals with autism. She thoroughly enjoyed building relationships with some of the students through the time she spent offering a helping hand during their sports activity time and in the occupational therapy rooms. During this upcoming year, Julia plans on investing time with service groups on campus, particularly East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring where she will provide weekly tutoring to local elementary students. Further, what Julia saw and learned about the Indian health system during her time with ACE inspired her to pursue a minor in Human Biology with a focus in Global Health. This past summer, Julia worked for Johnson & Johnson as a Research & Development intern. View Julia's ambassador profile.

Kate Kutzer is a junior at Duke and competes in the heptathlon for the Women’s Track and Field Team. She is currently studying Biology and Cultural Anthropology, and is dedicated to serving those in need. She enjoys going on adventures, playing with children, and learning about other cultures. Her participation in ACE in India solidified her goal of becoming a doctor in order to provide medical care to underprivileged communities in the United States. Traveling to India allowed her to see the importance of education and health from an outside perspective and has influenced her commitment to making health care more available and culturally inclusive. To follow this passion back on campus, she is a part of Help Desk, which is a Bass Connections Team centered around the social determinants of US health disparities and works to connect members in the community to health resources. Kate is also a member of CAPE—a premedical program for female athletes at Duke—and spent her summer shadowing doctors at the Duke Hospital. The relationships and memories created with fellow Duke and Stanford athletes along with the children in Jasola, New Delhi, are experiences that Kate will never forget. As an ACE Ambassador, she is committed to helping current and future ACE participants get the most out of their experience abroad through cultural and ethical preparation. View Kate's ambassador profile .