Media Category: Student-Athlete Ambassadors

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!

Austin is a junior on the Men's Swimming and Diving team. He is studying biology with a concentration in marine sciences and evolutionary anthropology with a concentration in anatomy and paleontology on the pre-med track. While in Costa Rica, he was able to explore his interests in Marine Biology and immerse himself in a vastly different life than his back home. He hopes to share the lifestyle and sense of family that he found while in Gandoca.

Alden is a sophomore on Duke Men's Cross Country and Track & Field teams and participated in the ACE in Costa Rica program in the summer of 2024. Alden's experience in his program introduced him to amazing people and once in a lifetime opportunities and as an ambassador he hopes he can make sure other people can experience what he did.

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.

Kavya Menke is a Duke Fencing team senior from Athens, GA who participated in the 2024 ACE in Costa Rica program. An evolutionary anthropology and classical languages major, she is interested in learning from communities about their relationship to the natural environment and local wildlife. Through ACE, she was able to work with members of the community in Gandoca, Costa Rica, and learn about service, sustainable farming practices and wildlife conservation. Kavya hopes to bring these lessons back from Costa Rica and to stay involved in service work in Durham, Athens, and wherever she goes next.

Sydney Tomlak is a Junior on the Women's Volleyball Team from Rochester, Michigan, and participated in ACE in Costa Rica 2024. Sydney loves animals and the natural environment and values her experience in Gandoca for being able to work with both. Sydney hopes to bring back what she learned about sea turtle conservation and organic farming to her everyday life.

Zizi Newhard is a Sophomore on the Women's Fencing team and a participant in the 2024 ACE in Panama program. She is majoring in Environmental Science and has a strong passion for sustainability and the outdoors. During her time in Panama, she helped to facilitate a volleyball camp and tournament for elementary school students. She is very grateful for the incredible experience ACE provided to her and hopes to bring what she has learned to further community engagement at Duke.

Ethan Grimminger is a junior from Orange County, CA on the Duke Men's Wrestling Team. He participated in the 2024 ACE in Panama program. After his experience in Panama, Ethan is passionate about bringing sports to kids and providing opportunities for college exposure for student-athletes.

KyAnh Truong is a member of the Duke Women’s Swimming and Diving team and participated in the ACE in Place Vietnam 2022 program. Her past experiences with community engagement include volunteering at a Vietnamese temple to help teach kids how to read, write, and speak Vietnamese, teaching little kids how to swim, and working with Helping Hands to do creative storytelling at assisted living communities. She is committed to providing service in the community as well as promoting the importance of learning about diverse cultures.

Francesca Morland is currently a junior on the Duke Women’s Rowing Team and is majoring in Economics with a minor in Environmental Science and Policy. She is from Guildford, United Kingdom and participated in the ACE program in Costa Rica 2024. Throughout the program, Francesca spent time immersing herself in the rich Costa Rican culture and traditions. Through volunteering within the Gandocan community, of which included beach cleanups and working at a cacao farm, Francesca experienced first hand how anthropogenic climate change threatens small rural communities like Gondoca. The program highlighted the importance of living in harmony with each other and the environment. With her learnings and experiences from the ACE program, she strengthened her wish to pursue a career in sustainability.