Wesley Hedden - Vietnam Program Director
Wesley Hedden grew up in Ohio and as a high school student learned the value of experiential learning by participating every summer in extended science field trips to the American West. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans where he majored in philosophy and Latin American Studies. In 2005 Wesley studied abroad at the University of Buenos Aires where he acquired a lasting passion for history. Just before his senior year at Tulane began, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, forcing Wesley to relocate to Rhode Island and re-evaluate his careers plans. Did he ever! Rather than pursuing an academic career, Wesley moved to Southeast Asia to learn more about development in a part of the world he knew little about.
Wesley has spent the last four years in China, Vietnam, Myanmar/Burma, and Cambodia, teaching English and world history and working in various capacities for NGOs. He currently lives in Anlong Veng, Cambodia, where he works for a disaster risk-reduction NGO. Wesley speaks Vietnamese and Spanish and can get by in Burmese and Khmer. When he's not working, Wesley enjoys taking long bike rides through the countryside, exploring ancient temples, and reading books over tea and coffee.
2010 is Wesley's fourth summer with VISIONS and his third season in VISIONS Vietnam. He is thrilled to return to Thuy An! He looks forward to hot mornings on the worksite, afternoons filled with Legos and sign language, talent shows in the evenings, and 24-hour days with awe-inspiring children and their precious smiles. Most of all, Wesley is excited to share with VISIONS participants a culture that has captured his imagination and people who have captured his heart.