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 other ways ACE student-athletes are supported post-experience.
For Duke junior, Zach Barry, ACE in Place Vietnam helped him create a lasting impact on him and his community. After the three-week virtual program ended, he gained a new sense of gratitude and wanted to continue that feeling.
Zach Barry, a runner on the Duke Cross Country and Track and Field teams at Duke, aimed to increase youth participation in running in the local area through his ACE Action plan. He planned to achieve this goal by partnering with his teammates who shared his passion for providing athletic opportunities to youth. However, embarking on this plan and enlisting help would not come easy.
“Everyone on our team is very busy with academic and athletic commitments, so getting a group to participate at the same time was challenging,” Barry explained as he shared about his planning process.
Despite this hurdle, Barry and his team kept pressing on. After researching and working with Duke Athletics to identify a local organization with which to partner, Barry was able to find a program called “Kids Run Durham.” This program is sponsored through Bull City Running, a running store and club located in the Durham area. Through this program, local youth get to experience a track meet where they receive their own bib numbers, finishing times, and a custom t-shirt for their participation.
“Given our platform as Duke student-athletes, we can serve as an inspiration for the next generation to engage in physical activity in a fun way that will lead to the creation of healthy habits,” Barry shared as he talked the importance of providing these opportunities.
“Given our platform as Duke student-athletes, we can serve as an inspiration for the next generation to engage in physical activity in a fun way that will lead to the creation of healthy habits.”
– Zach Barry, ACE in Place Vietnam alum
During last fall, Barry and his team volunteered on Sundays with Kids Run Durham. As each event of this small track meet took place, Barry and the team would cheer and interact with the kids. Barry described the smiles and joy the kids had when they talked to the Duke team and when the youth competed.
“It certainly brought happiness to our team’s Sundays that helped foster a more grounded, community-oriented, and focused week,” Barry concluded.
As they say, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Zach Barry and his team hope to stay involved each semester with this program. Although they may face hurdles along the way, we know that we can still go for the good, together!