Loung Ung - 2012

Using questions written by students, Ann Christianson
 interviews Loung Ung in front of over 800 students
at Wausau East High School.

On May 8 and 9, 2012, A Walk in Their Shoes proudly presented author, lecturer, and activist Loung Ung to our Marathon County students and the community. On the evening of May 8, Ung shared her compelling story with the public. A survivor of the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot regime, Loung shared how her world came crashing down around her on April 17, 1975—the day the Khmer Rouge took over the capitol of Phnom Penh. Ung’s fight for survival and her journey to understanding the horrific events of her childhood has led her to be an international activist for equality, human rights, and justice.

Loung Ung inspired middle and high school audiences on May 9, 2012, during two presentations. Student reacting to her moving story said she was inspiring. Her message, they said, rang true—every one of us can make a difference in this world, not just in the life of one or two, but in the lives of many. Her empowering message particularly touched the young women in the audience.

Author Loung Ung has taken an incredibly frightening story of survival and created a compelling and authentic narrative in her books, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind, and Lulu in the Sky, published in April 2012. A Walk in Their Shoes presentations are made possible by community sponsorships. Donors who made possible An Evening with Loung Ung, as well as two presentations to area students, were: The B.A. and Esther Greenheck Foundation, The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, Fox Dentistry, The Dirks Group, Ministry Health Care, Wausau School District, Edgar School District, Northcentral Technical College International Department, NWA, the Jefferson Street Inn, Janke Bookstore, Brickner Family Auto Group, The Mint, UWMC/Wisconsin Public Radio, and other Marathon County community organizations.