SOUTH HADLEY, MASS. – Through the support of Harriet Levine Weissman '58 and her husband, Paul M. Weissman, the Mount Holyoke College Department of Physical Education and Athletics is proud to announce that six student-athletes have been selected to participate in the Coach for College program during the summer of 2017.
Coach for College is a service learning program that brings together student-athletes from U.S. colleges and universities and Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports, and life skills at summer camps to children in rural Vietnam
Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics, Lori Hendricks ('92) is very excited for this new opportunity. "We are grateful for the Weissman's gift and continuing support of student leadership at Mount Holyoke College. We know that many of our student-athletes have global interests in teaching, international relations, and business. Coach for College provides hands-on experience for leadership development and growth."
Junior soccer player and captain Suz Rose (South Hamilton, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham Regional) says, "I have been looking for ways to combine my love for teaching and mentoring with athletics. The Coach for College program benefits both collegiate athletes and youth in developing countries by promoting education through sports."
Both Rose and her twin sister Liz Rose (South Hamilton, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham Regional), who is also a junior on the soccer team were selected. Additionally, basketball first years Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass./Stoneleigh Burnham School) and Kathryn Violette (Yokosuka City, Japan/Yokohama International School), along with sophomore rower Sharlow Hitchcock (Methuen, Mass./Methuen), and volleyball/tennis player Joy Maran (Sante Fe, N.M./Santa Fe Prep) will represent the Lyons this summer in Vietnam.
Each participant co-teaches one sport, one academic subject, and a life skills class throughout the camp, and will lead their team in competitions at the end of each week. It is an incredible opportunity for the participants to make a lasting difference in children's lives.
Grover added, "I believe the most important lesson I might learn from immersing myself in rural Vietnam is the importance of building intercultural communication skills. By working alongside Vietnamese university students, I anticipate a huge opportunity to develop once in a lifetime relationships."
Mount Holyoke is proud to be the only NCAA Division III institution represented in the Coach for College program, which has historically attracted Division I student-athletes. Prior to their travel, Mount Holyoke's participants will take part in an orientation that will focus on sport pedagogy, community based learning, and Vietnamese language training.
