Full Circle: How a Youthlinc Trip Led Me Back to Cambodia a Decade Later

When I left Cambodia in 2015 as a Youthlinc student, I never thought I would return. Now in the fall of 2025, I’m in my fourth month as a volunteer in Cambodia working with the same NGO I worked with in 2015. How did I get here?

I joined the 2014-15 Youthlinc service year on the Cambodia team and volunteered with special needs adults and children for my local site. My two weeks in Cambodia were physically challenging, but filled with some of the most joyful experiences I’ve ever had. I was touched by the goodness and resilience of the Cambodian people—in the aftermath of a genocide that devastated the country in every way, the people remain generous, loving, and optimistic.

My experience in Cambodia inspired me to continue making a difference where I could. In the decade since, I’ve participated in another Youthlinc service year and volunteered with various organizations that serve refugees, immigrants, teens, and unhoused people. I became a middle and high school English teacher and deeply cared for my students. I’ve tried to be a more globally-minded citizen which impacts small decisions like how I shop and bigger decisions like how I vote. 

After three years of teaching, I needed a change, so I reached out to Sustainable Cambodia and asked if I could be a long term volunteer. Since August, I’ve worked as an education consultant and English teacher and helped the school with early literacy, TEFL instruction, and teacher training. I feel immensely grateful to return to Cambodia and work alongside the incredible staff at Sustainable Cambodia. 

Youthlinc’s mission is “creating lifetime humanitarians.” Initially I felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea of calling myself a lifetime humanitarian—it felt that a bit grandiose, even conceited. But a humanitarian is simply “a person who seeks to promote human welfare.” At my core, that’s who I am. From the second-hand clothes I buy to the way I teach, I imperfectly strive to prioritize putting people first. 

I know that my Youthlinc experience set me on a trajectory to be a force for good in the world both locally and internationally. Could I still be on a service-minded life path without Youthlinc? Absolutely. But the intensive nature of the service year was a catalyst that transformed my heart in a dramatic way. After 25 years, thousands of teens and adults have participated in the Youthlinc Service Year and share stories that are similar to mine. These individuals make meaningful contributions to their local community and international communities during the service year, and I am confident that they continue this work afterward. One individual at a time, Youthlinc creates lifetime humanitarians that will promote human welfare in small and big ways and bring about long-lasting change that will make this world a better place.