“Participating in ACE is a no brainer for me. It gives me an amazing experience abroad while at the same time continuing to improve myself as an athlete and as a person with quality relationships and experiences.”
Max’s past experiences with service include giving campus tours and acting as a mentor for Athletes in Action, a faith-based student-athlete group. Maxis also passionate about voter turnout, going door-to-door helping people register to vote in Durham. With the Duke Men’s Soccer team, Max has participated in various volunteer opportunities including reading at local elementary schools, going on hospital visits, and running a soccer clinic with a local Boys and Girls Club.
Dear Future #ACEathletes,
- Best advice for learning about ACE: Find and talk to other people that have gone on the trip, especially the ambassadors! Ambassadors know the most about the experience and are a great resource to learn about the different locations.
- Best advice for applying for ACE: For applying, I made sure that I read over my application multiple times and I also sent it to my academic advisor in the athletic department. Use all your resources to help you!
- Best advice for getting started at your program: The most important thing to do in your first couple of days on site is to bond with your fellow student-athletes! They are such a big part of your experience, so taking the first couple of days to get to know everyone goes a long way.
- Tips for getting to know your community: Finding small ways to interact with people can seem hard, but is very easy once you practice. Compliments (in a safe way) go a very long way towards encouraging people to open up to you, especially kids.
- Tips for training: Leverage your fellow student-athletes and try their workouts! You never know what sport will have a cool workout you’ve never done.
- Tips for bringing ACE back to your team: Create a quick elevator pitch to tell everyone you meet when you get back, especially your team. A 2-3 minute pitch goes a long way towards getting people interested.
- Reasons for staying involved in ACE: ACE has given me so many friends and learning experiences that I want to share those experiences with others, as well as to help others have their own experiences.