Polly Woodbury

Polly was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship Fulbright in Thailand. Through her own life experiences, Polly learned that education is an important way to escape the cycle of familial poverty and she intended to “pay it forward.” As a Khmer American, she selected Thailand as a way to give back to the community that once sheltered her own mother’s family and to ensure that children growing up in poverty there can still receive an excellent education. Polly is passionate about social justice; at Western she tutored first generation students in need of extra help, and in 2013 she taught English and math in South Africa. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, Polly created a welcoming classroom atmosphere by providing guidance and encouragement, listening to people’s individual stories, and learning what they need from her in order to be successful. Outside of her busy class schedule, she programmed the school’s first English camp, and served as a Hilltribe Liason, finding potential sponsors for “disadvantaged hill tribe students’ housing, education, and health services,” as well as building halfway homes for these students to allow them to “pursue higher education in urban areas.” Polly also participated in Rotary International during her time in Thailand.