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Her most recent adventure took her to Latvia, where she spent a week as part of the Sport Envoy Program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. It was yet another oppor- tunity to use hockey to bridge cultural divides and make the world feel a little smaller. "I learned early on that saying yes is almost always the right answer when these oppor- tunities come up," said Schaus, a member of silver medal-winning U.S. Olympic Teams in 2010 and 2014. "Hockey has taken me to parts of the world I never would've gotten to experience, and so it didn't really matter where they wanted me to go. I knew it would be a great opportunity." The Sports Envoy Program is an oppor- tunity for American athletes and coaches to participate in weeklong sports-based pro- grams in foreign countries to advance goals from diversity and inclusion to gender equity and social cohesion. Several USA Hockey athletes have partici- pated in past trips, including Olympic stand- outs Julie Chu and Hilary Knight, along with Paralympic sled players Andy Yohe, Brad Emmerson and Lonnie Hannah. When it came time to learn more about what she was getting involved in, one of the first people that Schaus reached out to was Chu. "She said it was an incredibly unique expe- rience and if I could make it happen, I should g o. That was enough validation for me," Schaus said. "With every person I talked to, it became clearer that this is one of those opportunities that you have to accept. It gives you a new perspective, it changes your appreciation for things, and it's rare to get to go travel to a new country." Still, finding the time to go proved to be tricky as Schaus had recently started a new job with LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic Summer Games. After five years working with the Anaheim Ducks in their fan development department, Schaus shifted gears during the pandemic MOLLY SCHAUS 38 // JUNE 2023 The Goalie Issue USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM To step outside of your bubble and just understand what's going on in the world, it's a really important lesson. Molly Schaus spent a week this past March in Latvia coaching as part of the Sport Envoy Program.