Vandy Chhum's smile says it all. She approaches life joyfully and with optimism. Her name is a Khmer/Cambodian name given to her by her father. Vandy's road to Greensboro was a long one. Her family left Cambodia, spent time in a refugee camp in Thailand and moved to the United States in 1985. They moved from New York to Greensboro to Chicago and to Long Beach, always in pursuit of community and family. Cambodian families in the United States are a close community, as is Vandy's own family. When in Long Beach, she asked her her father for permission to return to Greensboro to attend high school and to live with her sister. Vandy not only graduated from high school, she attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, majoring in social work.
While at UNCG, she interned with Communities in Schools, a national drop-out prevention program. She continued working for them after graduation and has been there for eleven years. With her youthful look, it is hard to believe that Vandy has been in the workforce for over a decade and that she is happily married with two lovely children. Vandy remins close to her family and is extremely proud to have been born into the Chhum family.
In the above photo, Vandy is photographed at the Sedgefield Country Club where she was attending brunch with Delta Kappa Gamma, a society for women educators. Vandy is also very involved with the Piedmont Interfaith Council, where she works hard to bridge faith groups, cultures, and people of all ages.
Vandy loves Greensboro so much, she selected it as her permanent home over fifteen years ago. She loves the people, the trees, the greenery, and the sense of community. Greensboro gives her a sense of belonging and is the one place she says she can truly call home. We are so grateful that Vandy is here and for all she does for our community. Today is ABC Wednesday and V is for Vandy. See our other A-Z People entries, here,
A wonderful and vivacious person wih determination to make the best of everything... how wonderful you pay her a tribute here
Have a nice abc-day / - week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
Posted by: ♫ Mel☺dy ♫ | Wednesday, December 09, 2015 at 05:55 AM
neat, love the innocent smile.
Posted by: christopher sophie johnson | Wednesday, December 09, 2015 at 02:29 PM
What a smile!
Posted by: William Kendall | Wednesday, December 09, 2015 at 07:13 PM
she does have a lovely smile
ROG, ABCW
Posted by: Roger Green | Wednesday, December 09, 2015 at 10:25 PM