Coleman: Resiliency in a World of Doom and Gloom

DURHAM — As an Environmental Science major, I was automatically drawn to the ACE in Colorado program which focused on environmental conservation efforts in Southwest Colorado. ACE provides a unique opportunity for Duke and Stanford student-athletes to study abroad (or domestically) and participate in community service during the summer.

It is almost impossible for most athletes to take a semester, or even eight weeks off in the summer, to study abroad, so the three-week ACE program was perfect for me as I was able to study, serve, and keep training.
During our time in Colorado, I learned key information about our environment and was exposed to multiple different career paths that can be taken with environmental science. Having the opportunity to volunteer alongside the people who do this work every day was eye opening, because I was able to see some of the key solutions that are currently being implemented. We worked on a regenerative farm in Gunnison, helped with forest fire restoration and trail building in Durango, and even had the privilege of touring the Ute Mountain Tribal Park with a Ute Tribe member. As each day passed, I found myself making lifelong friends with my ACE teammates. I left Colorado inspired to bring some of the environmental solutions we learned about back to the Duke community and pursue a career in the environmental field. If there is one thing I can stress after my time in Colorado, it’s that we still have hope and time to help our earth.

In a world where news headlines convince us that the world is warming at an alarming rate and climate change will destroy all that we know, it is hard to find hope. Our fresh water supply is dwindling, ocean levels are rising, and soon, the agriculture industry will no longer be able to support our rapidly growing population. It is easy to understand how most people would be discouraged by this news and feel like they can’t do much to help. I often found myself feeling the same way before my three weeks in Colorado. However, after meeting and interacting with many folks there, my hope has been renewed. While environmental issues do require urgency, they don’t yet require full blown panic and doom.



Over the three weeks we worked with a wide variety of agencies, each of which provided a different service to the community and environment. While each…