Creating Home: Leadership Resident Reflections
October 6, 2024 – Earlier this year, Cat Young volunteered as a Leadership Resident (LR) at Harpswell’s TT Leadership Center. Cat is currently a junior studying International Business and International Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. As she transitioned back into her life as a student in the U.S., Cat shared what made being an LR most meaningful for her:
Coming from California, I arrived in Cambodia with wide, curious eyes. The novelty and unfamiliarity of everything around me—from the environment to the customs and even the streets of Phnom Penh—blurred together my excitement and anxiety. In the end, it wasn’t the amazing cafés, exciting tuktuk rides or delicious street food that made Phnom Penh slowly begin to feel like home; it was the Harpswell students that I met and got to know during those six months.
During my time as a Harpswell Leadership Resident, I naturally spent most of my time with the sisters, as the students affectionately call each other. When I first arrived, I got to know them through core classes, weekly news presentations and one-on-one meetings. The caliber of the students amazed me. The girls were all incredibly smart, humble and filled with ambition, while also creating a supportive and close-knit family in the leadership centers. I approached my interactions with Harpswell’s students as a cultural exchange with peers. The students started to bring me to their universities, invite me to cafés to study and guide me through different neighborhoods as we explored the city together. As we became more familiar, our relationships blossomed beyond the academic environment to true friendships. My favorite memories are of us cruising around on motorbikes, picking up street food and talking about everything from funny TikToks to our future goals in life. Needless to say, my days were always filled with laughter and joy with friends.
The students also expanded my perspectives on work ethic, motivation and career goals, solidifying my personal and professional value of advocacy along the way. As I return to my university to finish my studies, I’m now able to bring my experience from Cambodia into the classroom, in particular Southeast Asian politics, culture, social norms and perspectives. I’ve also learned so much more about women’s empowerment and equality alongside the power of education and economic disadvantages. This experience has acted as a catalyst in my own journey, guiding me towards a career path that aligns with my learnings. Someday, I hope to work at an organization like Harpswell that advocates for positive change.
My biggest takeaway, however, was the emphasis on critical thinking, a crucial theme within Harpswell’s academics that ultimately extends into our everyday lives. How can we thoughtfully analyze, evaluate and interpret our own actions and logic? How do our choices bring significance and meaning to our lives and those around us? For me, the answer lies in cultivating mindfulness and striving to make a positive impact on others, which I hope to implement now and in my future.
Through my time in Phnom Penh, I’ve come to learn that home is the community and relationships we choose to surround ourselves with. Although I’m now halfway across the world, my relationships, memories and lessons won’t fade. I still message and call the sisters during the few hours that both of us are awake. Those moments of connection, warmth and genuine friendship are what truly make Harpswell feel like a home away from home.