Heros are meant to inspire

While traveling last week, I was greatly saddened to hear of the death of one of my heros, Mickey Sampson, the Director of Resource Development International Cambodia.

I first met Mickey the summer before I started graduate school, where I spent six weeks working with RDIC. I wanted to visit RDIC specifically because of Mickey, the person who received a PhD in chemistry but turned down job offers in the US to follow his heart to Cambodia. Since I was about to embark on my own PhD studies, I was very curious to know how a PhD could be used without being a Professor or Physician. I learned how chemistry could be done in developing country (it is possible, but difficult) but I also learned a lot about fulfilling your potential and how a PhD can open doors that you never knew existed.

The history of RDIC is well documented on their website (www.rdic.org) but what is not documented is the effect that Mickey and his team had on people all over the world. Hundreds of people visited Cambodia as volunteers and hundreds more knew Mickey from water purification communities. When news broke of Mickey's (sudden and unexpected) death, hundreds of people on facebook joined a group celebrating his life. I only knew him personally for 6 weeks in Summer 2003, but hardly a week goes by where I don't reflect on some words he or someone from his team shared. I am grateful for the time spent with Mickey and know that I am a better person for have known him. I still keep in (sporadic) contact with his wife and would send him articles on arsenic testing and developments in arsenic water treatment. Its very difficult to express how great an impact he had on my life.

The voluntourism group Pepy Tours put it best.

Today, the world has lost a true humanitarian, scientist, and dedicated change agent who went out into the world and not only thought "Look at all of the problems out there! How could people have gotten it so wrong!" he also thought "I can do it better than it is being done. I can use my skills to add value to this world." and so he did. Mickey didn't look for medals and awards, he surely wasn't trying to scale up anything to have bigger and further results. Instead he was looking to do it right.

I hope that I can follow in the footsteps of one of my heros and use my gifts to not only find problems, but to find the best way to solve them.

Sampson family and RDIC, you are in my thoughts and prayers just like you always have been.