Indiana University Athletics
IU Student-Athletes Prepare for Vietnam Trip with Coach for College
6/20/2016 3:03:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball, Women's Rowing, Track and Field
BLOOMINGTON – Three Indiana University student-athletes will embark on a trip of a lifetime this summer to Vietnam as part of the Coach for College program. Amanda Cahill (women's basketball), Paul Galas (track and field) and Maddie Pierce (rowing) will take part in the program for IU.
Coach for College is a service learning program where student-athletes from the United States partner with Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports and life skills at summer camps to disadvantaged children in rural Vietnam.
This will be the second-straight year in which IU Athletics has had student-athlete representatives as part of the program. Any Indiana student-athlete was able to apply for the opportunity to participate in the Coach for College trip. The application hit on topics such as the importance of education, how service connects to the overall goals in life, feelings about working in a diverse culture and what life lessons or experiences they would like to obtain from the trip.
The candidates were then chosen by a group of staff within IU Athletics' Excellence Academy as representatives from academics, leadership and life skills and Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers reviewed the list of applicants.
IU graduate and former volleyball standout Courtney Harnish, who participated as a student-athlete in the program last summer is returning again in 2016 on her own as a director.
"Coach for College is a fantastic experience for any student-athlete," Harnish said. "Besides stepping out of your comfort zone and learning about a new beautiful culture, one learns the importance of giving back and humility. I couldn't have asked for a more life changing experience.
"I am lucky to be going back as a director and am so excited to watch other student-athletes learn more about the Vietnamese culture but also grow as individuals. I am most looking forward to seeing the Vietnamese children, who have the greatest hearts. But also sharing my knowledge and experience in order to help the newcomers adjust and fall in love with the country, just as I did."
The program was founded in the fall of 2007 by Parker Goyer, a former women's tennis student-athlete at Duke. Coach for College hopes to use sports to help motivate children in developing countries to pursue higher education while developing leadership skills, learning in the classroom and playing sports.
It aims to support students in grades 6-9 in rural communities around the world in increasing their motivation to take advantage of higher educational opportunities by using sports to generate excitement about learning.
In turn, Coach for College is a chance for student-athletes from the U.S. to gain leadership, teaching and coaching skills to be a positive influence during the trip, but also to help mold them upon their return to use these skills to make a difference in their communities. It also serves as an opportunity for student-athletes to make a positive impact on the world with social change while having the commitment to making higher education a more realistic option for those around the world who currently don't have the resources to take advantage of it.
IU's student-athlete representatives will embark on their journey beginning next week. Pierce will leave on June 22 and return July 18 as Cahill and Galas will take their trip from July 20 through August 15. All three will be working with kids at different schools.
Coach for College is a service learning program where student-athletes from the United States partner with Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports and life skills at summer camps to disadvantaged children in rural Vietnam.
This will be the second-straight year in which IU Athletics has had student-athlete representatives as part of the program. Any Indiana student-athlete was able to apply for the opportunity to participate in the Coach for College trip. The application hit on topics such as the importance of education, how service connects to the overall goals in life, feelings about working in a diverse culture and what life lessons or experiences they would like to obtain from the trip.
The candidates were then chosen by a group of staff within IU Athletics' Excellence Academy as representatives from academics, leadership and life skills and Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers reviewed the list of applicants.
IU graduate and former volleyball standout Courtney Harnish, who participated as a student-athlete in the program last summer is returning again in 2016 on her own as a director.
"Coach for College is a fantastic experience for any student-athlete," Harnish said. "Besides stepping out of your comfort zone and learning about a new beautiful culture, one learns the importance of giving back and humility. I couldn't have asked for a more life changing experience.
"I am lucky to be going back as a director and am so excited to watch other student-athletes learn more about the Vietnamese culture but also grow as individuals. I am most looking forward to seeing the Vietnamese children, who have the greatest hearts. But also sharing my knowledge and experience in order to help the newcomers adjust and fall in love with the country, just as I did."
The program was founded in the fall of 2007 by Parker Goyer, a former women's tennis student-athlete at Duke. Coach for College hopes to use sports to help motivate children in developing countries to pursue higher education while developing leadership skills, learning in the classroom and playing sports.
It aims to support students in grades 6-9 in rural communities around the world in increasing their motivation to take advantage of higher educational opportunities by using sports to generate excitement about learning.
In turn, Coach for College is a chance for student-athletes from the U.S. to gain leadership, teaching and coaching skills to be a positive influence during the trip, but also to help mold them upon their return to use these skills to make a difference in their communities. It also serves as an opportunity for student-athletes to make a positive impact on the world with social change while having the commitment to making higher education a more realistic option for those around the world who currently don't have the resources to take advantage of it.
IU's student-athlete representatives will embark on their journey beginning next week. Pierce will leave on June 22 and return July 18 as Cahill and Galas will take their trip from July 20 through August 15. All three will be working with kids at different schools.
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