This is part of a series highlighting recent ACE participants who are finding meaningful ways to connect and build on their ACE experience beyond their three-week ACE summer program. After student-athlete participants complete their ACE summer, they are encouraged to think about a specific goal that connects their ACE experience to their life in a meaningful way. ACE staff support this process through the development of a personal ACE Action Plan and 1-1 coaching, group meetings, and check-ins throughout the year. Learn more about the ACE Plan Process and explore additional ways ACE student-athletes are supported post-experience here.
Cam Kerr, a graduate student on the Duke Men’s Soccer team and ACE in Costa Rica 2023 alum, initially envisioned incorporating the themes he explored in Costa Rica, primarily centered around environmental conservation, into his ACE Action Plan. While exploring potential volunteer opportunities at the Duke Lemur Center, he discovered that the required time commitments unfortunately did not align with his demanding soccer schedule.
Cam decided to pivot and look towards another valuable lesson from his ACE experience that he could build his Action Plan around – the value of community through sports. Using his connections in the Durham soccer community, Cam looked into setting up soccer clinics to help coach youth in the local area. This idea came from the weekly soccer tournaments that Cam and the Costa Rica team engaged in with members of the local Gandoca community every Friday during their program. Cam saw this as a great bonding experience and a way to connect communities and cultures through sport.
“I’ve made it a priority to get more involved in my community through the sport that I love and give back to the sport and city that’s given me so much.” – Cam Kerr, ACE in Costa Rica’ 23
This fall was a great initial setup for his plan, and Cam is currently working on setting up more clinics for the spring and summer. Cam has encountered several challenges, including coordinating weekends when teammates are available to assist and establishing connections with local groups to arrange the field and participant logistics. After completing his ACE experience and initiating his Action Plan back on campus, Cam notes that ACE has helped him realize the importance of community and sports and how they complement each other. Cam shares, “I’ve made it a priority to get more involved in my community through the sport that I love and give back to the sport and city that’s given me so much.”