Adeline Kenlin traveled alone to Vietnam in July 2023 with an open mind, a bit of trepidation, and dreams of becoming a collegiate gymnastics coach. Three weeks later, the University of Iowa student returned home with a boost of self-confidence, a terrific smoothie recipe, and a broadened worldview.

The graduate student in sport and recreation management is a fourth-year Hawkeye gymnast and was one of two UI student-athletes to participate in Coach for College, an international service-learning program that groups U.S. student-athletes with Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports, and life skills at a summer camp for disadvantaged children in rural Vietnam.

For student-athletes, the program provides a meaningful and relevant experience—and a study-abroad option that accommodates their demanding training schedules. Over the course of three weeks, they work with youth to help them develop long-term goals, increase their motivation for education, and learn skills to be successful. College students from more than 40 U.S. universities and 30 Vietnamese colleges, representing 26 sports, have participated. Iowa has sent 13 Hawkeyes since the program began in 2008.

Though Kenlin ultimately aims to work with college students, she says she was inspired teaching biology and dance to some 100 sixth and seventh graders in the Vi Thuy district of Vietnam.

“Collegiate athletes are adults. They’ve already found their passion in sport and know why they want to do it. Helping younger kids find their passion and achieve their goals was exciting,” says Kenlin, an Academic All–Big Ten and two-time All-American gymnast who earned a BS in sport and recreation management from Iowa in May 2023. “I loved when they found that passion—you could really tell by the smiles on their faces. It was amazing to watch them develop as athletes over the course of three weeks.”

Each day, Kenlin and her peers walked to the school and engaged with the young students as they rotated through team bonding exercises, a variety of academic subjects and sports practices, and sessions on life skills. In the evenings, they returned to their dorm and planned lessons for the following day. Kenlin says the kids were not the only ones making discoveries.

“I learned a little bit about myself every day. For example, I’m not as introverted as I thought I was. Even though I didn’t know anyone and didn’t speak the language, I got comfortable really fast, and now I feel like I can form connections easily,” says Kenlin, who is from Iowa City. “I also learned persistence and patience. The language barrier was challenging, and certain phrases were very hard to learn, but I never stopped trying. I realized that there is so much more to learn—and that it’s important to take time and do your research.”

Maddie Black, a senior communication studies major from Longmont, Colorado, traveled to Vietnam for the session after Kenlin’s. She worked with eighth and ninth graders in a rural neighborhood called Rach Goi and made a major career discovery.

“Teaching was never something that I thought I’d be interested in doing, but seeing kids when they ‘get’ something is powerful,” says Black, an Academic All–Big Ten swimmer who taught English and coached volleyball in the program. “I didn’t realize that teaching English was so accessible in other countries, and that a lot of countries are eager to have native English speakers teach. I found it so fulfilling that I would love to continue doing it for as long as I can. Plus, it would allow me to travel.”

Though Black was assigned to the same province as Kenlin, the two worked in different areas.

“The Vietnamese people were so incredibly kind and giving. I could cry talking about them,” Black says. “The kids will give you everything when they have nothing. I came home every single day with a new bracelet or a sticker. They were so grateful and eager to be there and learn—it was unlike anything I have seen in the United States. Continuing education is the program’s mission, because by the time kids in Vietnam reach high school, many of them drop out to pursue jobs.”