Citizen of the world: Sothy Eng connects Lehigh to Cambodia

Sothy Eng wasn’t like most kids.

He learned at an early age not to complain, especially about food and especially to his parents. He learned that stories of hunger, torture and murder were the norm. He learned that an obligation to ensure his family’s happiness would always rule his life.

Eng, a professor of practice of comparative and international education at Lehigh, has brought everything he learned as a child to his current position. This is his sixth year in Bethlehem, but he’s nearly 9,000 miles from home.