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WOMAN WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
Graduate almost didn't go to UMW
Date published: 5/12/2007
BY JENN ROWELL She had already deposited her fees and was ready to go to James Madison University. But then Khamla Nanthana visited the campus of what was then Mary Washington College and changed her mind. Originally from Laos, she lives in the Warrenton area now and graduates today with a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology. "I always had a passion for human beings and cultural issues. It has always been my passion to be curious about the obvious, about why we do things," she said. "I know I'll be poor. I just love anthropology." Nanthana always wanted to work for a nongovernmental organization, like the United Nations, but she's not sure what she'll do next. She said she's planning to take a year off and is looking into graduate programs. Nanthana came to the U.S. when she was 2 and stayed for four years. Then her parents decided they wanted her to learn her native language and culture, so they moved back to Laos until 1998, when they returned to the U.S. "I didn't speak any English. I had to start over again," she said. She still goes back every summer to visit family and during the summer of 2004, she did an internship in Laos with Save the Children. She worked on a report of migration and trafficking in the northern region of Laos. During the internship, she learned some of the challenges of working in the field. In Laos, the elders are respected and hold the most authority. It is not the place of young people to question them, Nanthana said. "The American idea of law, of getting things done, doesn't really apply," she said. "You have to ask the head of the village for access. You can't just talk to people when you want to." Aside from her studies, Nanthana said she's learned a lot about dealing with people. She enjoys discussing politics and social issues, but found that not many other students wanted to have those serious conversations. "Sometimes I really felt like this wasn't the place for me and thought about transferring," she said. But she got through it. "I thought, OK, I can be a cool person. I don't have to be a nerd all the time." And eventually, she found education through conversation. "You learn so much about other people. All the friends that you have, they have such different backgrounds and experiences," she said. "The more I talk to people, the more I learn about myself." Jenn Rowell: 540/374-5418
Date published: 5/12/2007
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