“By participating in an ACE program this summer, I will be improving as an athlete, student, and global citizen by interacting with new communities and my peers.”
Kelsey’s past experiences with service includes traveling to Guatemala and assisting in expanding an overcrowded school. Kelsey has also completed local community service opportunities, including assisting in park clean-ups, packing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and organizing and distributing coats.
Kelsey is now a sophomore on the openweight women’s rowing team. She is from Connecticut, and had no extended experiences in other countries before her ACE experience. As a product design major, preserving the artisan weaving and cultural art in Peru drew her interest. She had previously participated in shorter international service experiences, drawing her to the extended service opportunity and cultural immersion that ACE offers. Kelsey’s goals for the program included having a positive impact on the community, learning from community members, and creating lasting relationships with the other student athletes on the trip. She is looking forward to working with other ACE alumni to help the Stanford community stay impactful.
Want to hear more about Kelsey’s ACE experience? Contact Kelsey.
Dear Future #ACEathletes,
- Best advice for learning about ACE: Choose the programs you apply for based on interest in the culture and where you want to learn the most about.
- Best advice for getting started at your program: Push yourself to get to know all of the other team members in the beginning, as it will help create a closer group later on.
- Tips for getting to know your community: Even without speaking Spanish, I built relationships with members of the community by speaking to them with a Spanish speaking team member. By the end of the trip, after a few Spanish lessons, I began to talk to community members on my own.
- Tips for training: At the beginning, find substitutions for normal exercises that have the same effect due to altitude. This will keep you healthy and ready to work in community.
- Tips for bringing ACE back to your team: I plan on organizing a team service project this year that can be continued every year. Not only will it be a positive project, I think it will help develop a positive team culture and promote teamwork.
- Reasons for staying involved in ACE: I decided to stay involved in the ACE program because of the strong friendships I gained from the program. Not only did the program allow me to participate in ethical service, but I was able to connect with other teams at Stanford and Duke, linking me to more of the student athlete community on campus.