Former Duke Rowing team member Lelia Boley shares how grateful she is that ACE helped her meet a close friend, Meible Chi. Both ACE in China 2018 alums and Duke graduates, Boley and Chi became friends during ACE and eventually became roommates. Boley also reflects on the ways ACE taught her to keep her commitment to service, culminating in pursuing an EMT certificate and volunteering with the fire department.
What are you doing now? How did ACE influence your career path?
I just finished a research fellowship at the NIH and started a master’s program in physiology at Georgetown! I think more than anything, ACE showed me that I like to give back to the community while surrounding myself with people that have different life experiences and perspectives than I do. Recently, I earned my EMT certificate and began volunteering through a fire department, serving a super diverse community here in Maryland.
ACE also really allowed me to get to know one of my closest friends–Meible! We lived together in China, then again senior year of college, and then again this past year, but in DC! It was an awesome experience and I am so glad I went with ACE to China!
Share a lesson from ACE that still holds true today.
My ACE experience reminded me of just how fun it can be to be curious! It was nothing like anything I had ever done. I had never been to China, and I didn’t know any Chinese or Tibetan. It was a little nerve-racking, getting on a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong, but I really loved going. ACE has continued to remind me of my own sense of curiosity and has pushed me to try new classes, switch majors, and find a passion for medicine.
How have you kept in contact with people from your ACE program?
ACE really allowed me to get to know one of my closest friends–Meible! We lived together while participating in ACE in China, then again senior year of college. And again this past year, but in DC this time! It was an awesome experience and I am so glad I went with ACE to China.