Terry Cao
An avid soccer player and coach, Terry spent his year abroad in Manchester, England giving at-risk youth better, healthier options through sports.
Terry Cao
So I'm from Vietnam, originally Ho Chi Minh City. I went to a very, very good school for high school. And then I came to UMass and it was basically a city. What my career aspirations is to create and run my own football academy. A UMass education in both sociology and sports management would be great to help me understand more about how sports can impact society. While at the same time learn the practical skills to run the sports organization. Commonwealth Honors College is basically a very small college within a massive university. The honors classes are very individually focused. You pick a topic you're interested in, you go for it. It basically enhances your ability to do research while still having the opportunity to participate in a much larger community. So I decided to go to Manchester, England through the International Programs Office. Honestly, there's no better place on earth to be than the football hub of England, Manchester. University of Manchester is one of the best in the world. To have the opportunity to attend two world class universities, that was just an option that I couldn't pass. I grew up not having a dad to take me to sports practice. So when I started out coaching I felt like this was my chance to make a difference and be that person that I didn't have when I was growing up as a kid. And I felt like that's a massive part of why I do what I do. As part of my role as sports ambassador for the university I work with Manchester United Foundation, providing free football training for kids from underprivileged backgrounds or high crime poverty areas. It's an all around social initiative using football as a platform. UMass has all the opportunities that you can ever hope for within the local community, within the United States, or even abroad like myself. And I would highly encourage anyone from, especially international students who go to UMass, to explore all the options available to them. My name is Bao Terry Cao, class of 2019. I stand for making a difference through sports, and I stand for UMass.