“Participating in ACE will give me the opportunity to understand a new culture and give back to the community. I will be able to learn from others by being immersed in an environment where learning is contagious.”
Aleeza’s past experiences with service include volunteering at the Bing Nursery School. Amelia has also volunteered alongside her teammates for organizations such as the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room, and the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative.
Aleeza is a junior on the Women’s Gymnastics Team at Stanford, currently studying linguistics with a minor in French. She is also interested in psychology and loves working with children. After the ACE in South Africa program, Aleeza learned a lot about cultural differences and became passionate about immersing herself in new situations and expanding her connections. Back at Stanford, Aleeza hopes to continue to promote the amazing opportunities that ACE has to offer and create a helpful and engaging community.
Want to hear more about Aleeza’s ACE experience? Contact Aleeza.
Dear Future #ACEathletes,
- Best advice for learning about ACE: I talked to a teammate who participated in the ACE program and reflected on whether or not I felt like that program would be the right fit for me. I also read the program summaries and researched some of the history of each country.
- Best advice for applying for ACE: You should be open to any experience. It helps to know that ACE is more than just a service trip. There are many things you learn while on the trip but knowing that it is a fully immersive program that includes culture, sports, school, etc. is helpful when applying.
- Best advice for getting started at your program: Our first days were laid back with a few meetings to lay out the plan for the 3 weeks. We had a schedule on paper for three weeks and we would also go over plans the night before for the next day. I got to know the other ACE members through partnering up with different people, team building activities, and games. It was easy to get to know people if you involved yourself. We didn’t really measure success or progress, but we would acknowledge if one day went really well / bad and identify the features of those days.
- Tips for getting to know your community: I think I improved my listening skills and understanding that everyone has their own story. I came back with more respect for others and gained a new appreciation for everyone’s story.
- Tips for training: Followed my training plan. It wasn’t too difficult to balance exercise since there was time set apart for it.
- Tips for bringing ACE back to your team: I shared a lot with my teammates and my coaches and expressed how life-changing the experience was. It changed my perspective on life and made me realize how lucky I am to be doing a sport at such a prestigious school. It made me more aware of my actions and words to my teammates and I want to continue to promote service within my team so that everyone is involved.
- Reasons for staying involved in ACE: ACE has had a great impact on me and really made me appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given. It also made me realize that I really want to continue doing more service projects and possibly pursue a career in human rights.