Sonith Riem, in the blue shirt, met Chadwick students and teachers when they visited her hometown in Cambodia last year.
FROM A CHANCE ENCOUNTER IN CAMBODIA TO CHADWICK SCHOOL SONITH RIEM BECOMES CHADWICK’S 2018-19 ASSIST SCHOLAR
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As the 2018-2019 ASSIST Scholar, Sonith Riem has been attending classes, participating in co-curriculars and making friends at Chadwick School since August. But her life before Chadwick was very different. Sonith grew up in a small farming village without electricity located just 10 miles from Siem Reap, a major city in northwestern Cambodia that today is plagued by child prostitution and human trafficking. For the past two years, Chadwick students have studied the history of Cambodia, the causes of human trafficking and the harsh realities facing girls in poverty. As part of Chadwick’s Global Programs, they traveled to Cambodia, where they met Cambodian leaders working to end injustice by creating safe houses and job centers for women. They also developed relationships with village girls, learning about their aspirations and their challenges. It was during their second trip that Chadwick students met Sonith. At the time, she was attending Jay Pritzker Academy (JPA), a college preparatory school that works with ASSIST, a United States-based nonprofit organization that matches academically talented, multi-lingual international students with American independent secondary schools. For the past 10 years, Chadwick has hosted overseas students from ASSIST. JPA was looking for a placement for Sonith, and given the ties between her and Chadwick, the placement was a natural fit. This opportunity for Chadwick students to learn from Sonith and for Sonith to be a part of the Chadwick community demonstrates the real benefits of ethical, global leadership.