Sothy Eng

Sothy Eng of Human Development and Family Studies in CTAHR immediately understood from his required office visits with students how their education fit into complex lives. From that, he was able to “enhance my requirements, syllabus and my personal growth as a teacher and gain a heightened sense of empathy towards students and the families and communities from which they came.” The insights of educator Paulo Freire resonate with Dr. Eng: “The teacher is no longer merely the one-who-teaches but who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught, also teach…jointly responsible for a process in which we all grow.” One student expressed: “Professor Eng and the students made it such an amazing class, a welcoming space.” And: “Little did I know his class would spark my future career goals of increasing the community’s access to food security and sovereignty.” Colleagues, praising him for inspiring students to be collaborative, creative and respectful, considers him “a role model among his peers, ceaselessly energetic, professionally dynamic, and abundant in his aloha.”