Hollyn Barr Travels to Vietnam with Coach for College
July 20, 2018 | Field Hockey, Beyond the Buzzer
Field hockey's Hollyn Barr reflects on her three weeks in Vietnam working with Coach for College
University of Louisville field hockey student-athlete Hollyn Barr recently returned from Vietnam, where she spent three weeks working with children through the Coach for College program. Upon her return to Louisville, Barr reflected on her time in Vietnam working with the children and the organization.
Hollyn Barr's Vietnam Blog
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Thinking back on my trip to Vietnam, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience and observe so many different and wonderful things. Coach for College is a program for Division I athletes who have a desire to learn about a whole new culture and bring American teaching and coaching techniques to Vietnamese children.
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The program was a total of three weeks and consisted of a four-hour morning session with the sixth graders and four hours in the afternoon with the seventh graders. The biggest takeaway I got from why athletes from American universities were needed for this program was to show people that we achieve success because of hard work and dedication.
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In Vietnam, education is something that not all children have the ability to obtain because of the cost. The school where we taught was located in a rural area where most families got work from farming, which meant a lot of the kids that attended the school can from impoverishment.
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Though most of the children did not come from well-off families, they did not let this dim their light. I would be welcomed with high-fives, hugs and smiles at every session. Not only was I able to form memorable bonds with these children, I was supported and surrounded by other athletes from all around the country that formed into amazing friendships.
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I am truly thankful for the opportunity to impact these children's lives and even more thankful to them for changing mine. To anyone looking to experience another culture, I challenge you and encourage you to put yourself out there and be bold and get involved in a program like Coach for College, because they help change the world.
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