If you had asked me a year ago whether I would be back in Brunswick working as the Teen Center coordinator, I would have looked at you as if you were speaking Thai to me.

That’s because for the past three years, I have been living and working in Phuket, Thailand, as an English teacher on weekdays and beach connoisseur on weekends.

Having been bit by the travel bug after my college year abroad studying economics in Scotland, the need to see the world proved too strong to ignore.

So, much to the chagrin of my parents, I resigned my management position with the Red Bull beverage company and moved abroad to Asia; ultimately

coming to rest in Phuket. It was there that I came to realize my passion to help people less fortunate.

Volunteering at the “Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation,” I became a role model for adolescents and teens who lost their families and ultimately their way, in the 2004 Christmas Day tsunami. As life often does, I too was thrown a curveball and met my fiancé, Tukta, in Phuket, and decided to move back to the United States.

When the opportunity became available to work with the local youth of the Brunswick area, I jumped at the chance to be able to give back to the community that had offered me so much while growing up here. I am excited to get to know the teens already coming to the center and I am even more eager to increase the number of teens who utilize the center on a daily basis.

I aim to provide a safe and totally fun environment for local teens to come and hang out and meet their peers. I also encourage any parents to stop by and check out our space and ask any questions they may have.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.