“I became interested in ACE during my recruiting visit, before I even started at Duke. I believe a summer with ACE is aligned with my values of learning, civic engagement, and athletics.”
Alex Miley’s past experience with service includes a two-week service trip to Costa Rica; working with RAMs sport engagement, FCA, and Feed my Starving Children; and serving as a basketball counselor and a VBS leader.
Alex Miley is a junior on the Duke cross country and track team from Maple Grove, Minnesota. Outside of athletics, he’s involved with the Christian community on campus with Duke Cru, and CCS fellows. He’s currently studying Economics as a major along with certificates in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Philosophy/Politics. However, he realized that he wanted to jump out of his comfort zone, and apply for ACE because of the emphasis of civic engagement that he was being drawn to immerse himself in. Furthermore, the ACE in China program had a focus on Tibetan Buddhism, which sparked interest in learning about other world religions, and the similarities and differences between his own faith, and the faith of individuals on the other side of the world.
Want to hear more about Alex’s ACE experience? Contact Alex.
Dear Future #ACEathletes,
- Best advice for learning about ACE: Talking with past participants gives you the greatest insight, with that being said, info sessions and talking with teammates is probably the most valuable. Also, having a strong application can be boiled down to a crossroads of your passion, and what ACE is looking for.
- Best advice for getting started at your program: Using the time at the airport is the best time to get to know the other members of your team because it just runs more smoothly if you have that foundation set before you jump into the on-sight activities. Furthermore, just being intentional in conversation from the get-go will help accelerate the rate in which deeper reflections and discussions occur.
- Tips for getting to know your community: Be genuinely interested in their projects, their interests, and what led them to where they are now. In terms of the wider community, not just the on-site program staff and researchers, bring positive energy and just be present with your shared experiences.
- Tips for training: Accountability is key, whether that is with a team member that is on the trip or someone on your team that is back home. Having a schedule is huge, for example, Josh and I would run before breakfast every morning to get our workout done.
- Tips for bringing ACE back to your team: Lots of pictures that led to discussions about my experience, as well as videos and blog posts. Also, when my coach would ask about training I’d use it as a platform to talk about my other experiences as well, which he was interested in.
- Reasons for staying involved in ACE: The community, the friends I met, and the shared experience we all had. It has also led to extended conversations with other Duke students that weren’t familiar with the ACE program.