Students explore the themes of identity, mentorship, and choosing a path through the story of a young man born in a refugee camp in Thailand whose family resettled in the United States. Through Seng’s experience, students hear how two people—a childhood friend and an elementary school teacher—represented two very different directions for his life, and how the loss of his friend and the return of his teacher helped him choose the path that led him to college and back to the classroom.

Participants identify four story elements within the narrative and reflect on the people they spend time with, the places that shaped them, and the lessons their own experiences have taught them.