This year marks five years of ACE programming. We’re celebrating by looking back at our first year programs, reflecting with our first year participants on what ACE has meant to them, and learning what our ACE alums are up to now.
This week we interviewed Class of 2018 Duke graduate, Men’s Soccer team member and ACE in South Africa ’16 alum, Oliver Spring. He reflects on the ways ACE values such as teamwork and empathy changed his role as a student-athlete and prepared him for a career in investment banking.
What are you doing now? How did ACE influence your academic or career path?
Many lessons I learned during ACE in South Africa greatly shape the way that I make decisions personally and professionally. The connections between ACE and my current career in investment banking are not connections that people would assume. Understanding empathy and sympathy help greatly in being able to listen to the client, relate to the client, and ultimately provide them with what they need.
“Building the market stand from the beginning planning process all the way to physical construction with a small group of ACE volunteers showed the great power of teamwork when a group is motivated to do good.”
During ACE, I also learned many lessons in hard work and perseverance. When working, I often think about how it isn’t always enjoyable to have a long to-do list and many tasks ahead of me. When I pause, put things in perspective, and think clearly, I can better appreciate how fortunate I am and realize that putting in the hard work to get the tasks done will allow me to learn and benefit me In the long-term.
How did ACE impact you as a student-athlete?
As a student-athlete, ACE helped me realize that it takes a village. When working in small villages and seeing the South African communities with rich histories and stories, it became clear to me that it takes every member of a village or team for the community to function. I was recovering from hip surgery while participating in ACE in South Africa. Participating in ACE while recovering from surgery helped me quickly realize that my role on my soccer team had changed. Instead of working physically hard each day and trying to lead by example, I worked to become a strong source of support for the rest of the soccer team in the locker room and on the sideline.
Share a story during your ACE experience that changed the way you now think about something.
The highlight of my trip was creating a market stand for the youth organization we worked with in the surrounding area of Cape Town, South Africa. The market stand, that is now used to sell vegetables and clothing, was an experience that stood out because it was one project that we worked on that resulted in an immediate, positive impact on those that we were volunteering alongside. Building the market stand from the beginning planning process all the way to physical construction with a small group of ACE volunteers showed the great power of teamwork when a group is motivated to do good.
Participate with an open mind to learn, experience new things, and soak in as much as possible to bring back home with you.
Describe your ACE experience in as few words as possible.
ACE is memorably impactful.
What’s one thing you want people to know about ACE?
Traveling and seeing the world changes how you look at everything everyday for the better.
What’s your advice for future ACE participants as we look ahead to the next five years?
Participate with an open mind to learn, experience new things, and soak in as much as possible to bring back home with you.