Photo by Jessica Maloney,
UNH Human Resources

Not many can match the pace that Sinthy Kounlasa maintains, neither in athletics nor in daily life. A runner for the past five years, Sinthy recently achieved a personal record by completing a marathon in Charlotte, North Carolina with a time of 3 hours and 36 minutes, placing 14th overall amongst the women and winning her age division. Aside from being a marathon runner, mother of three, community activist and administrative assistant for the Department of Economics, Sinthy also holds a part-time job where she works evenings and weekends in a jewelry store. For Sinthy, working incredibly hard has always been an essential component of her life. At times, it has been a matter of her survival.

Orphaned at a young age, Sinthy's childhood in Laos required exceptionally hard work in the homes of relatives and others in order that she might pursue her education. Taken in by her grandmother after the death of her parents, the education that was available in their village only offered her six years of schooling. After completion, Sinthy was sent to live in the home of an aunt who resided in a larger city. Though this allowed her access to higher levels of education, it also placed enormous demands on her, as she was expected to serve as household help - not an easy task in a home with eight children.

As an adult, Sinthy faced the harrowing experience of fleeing Laos, along with her husband (now ex), mother-in-law, and two young daughters (3 years old, and 8 months old at the time) under the cover of darkness. After having spent nearly a year's salary for assistance in crossing into Thailand, their hired escort left them to their own devices, requiring that she and her family hide from Laotian soldiers in mosquito-infested woods. Consoling her two young daughters lest they cry out became, on several occasions throughout that ordeal, a matter of life and death. Ultimately, her family spent 16 months in three different Thai detention camps before coming to the United States.

After the hardships she endured in Laos and Thailand, Sinthy then had to cope with the incredible stresses of culture shock as she and her family settled first in Durham, then Newmarket. Her knowledge of English required that she serve as the family's contact with the world in which they found themselves. While her language skills were excellent, interpreting the culture was a far more demanding task. As she states, "it took us years before we figured out what Halloween was all about. Not until our daughters entered school did we learn about this type of tradition. The first year that we were here we were totally unprepared for that type of thing." Assisting her mother-in-law through a seven-year battle with cancer was another great challenge as they were forced to confront an unfamiliar medical system.

Sinthy has used the knowledge that she's acquired through her many challenges in service of community activism. She works to ease the transition of others who are new to the community; helping them to acclimate to a new culture and interceding on their behalf with various institutions they must encounter. In fact, she serves as the voice of the Laotian community in Newmarket. She has had numerous speaking engagements with community organizations. Her recollections of her experiences have also been featured in numerous publications. In describing her experiences with amazing honesty and humor she works toward a better understanding of the circumstances of many Laotian families.

With so many demands on Sinthy, it is remarkable that she remains incredibly giving of her time, especially for anyone who requires help. As she states, "If anyone comes to my door and asks for help, I cannot say no." There are likely an inestimable number of people who have benefited as a result.