Five Princeton student-athletes participated in this year’s Coach for College program, bringing their love for sports and academics to Vietnam. Sponsored by the Princeton Varsity Club, these student-athletes spent three weeks abroad helping to teach, mentor, and coach underserved Vietnamese students.
Tiger student-athletes worked in the Vietnamese schools and were divided into teams along with athletes from other American Universities to develop daily lesson plans and teach sports to younger students. Throughout the program, students were pushed out of their comfort zones to try new sports and improve their academic scores. Each class was also assigned a team name and color to help foster teamwork among the students, and classes competed in a variety of academic and athletic skills tests where students could earn points for their teams. At the end of each camp, a fun celebration was hosted with all of the classes, recognizing students growth.
“Going in, my goal was to motivate these kids and show them what’s possible in life. What I didn’t expect was how much they’d end up teaching me.
The most rewarding part of the program wasn’t anything I planned for. It was watching the kids bring genuine joy and energy every single day despite hardships I only fully understood after our one-on-one conversations near the end of camp.
By the end of camp, reading the letters the kids wrote us, I knew the impact had gone both ways. I came to Vietnam wanting to give these kids a reason to strive for something greater. I left with a much clearer sense of what gratitude actually means.”
-Pierre Du Plessis ’29 | Water Polo
Click here to learn more about Coach for College and to view a full photo gallery from this summer’s participants.
