Ansel Sanger, Class of 2005

OPENING UP TO SOMETHING NEW

ANSEL SANGER, CLASS OF 2005

By Debbie Marchione

IN 2018, ANSEL SANGER ’05, AND HIS

WIFE JOSIE decided they wanted to expand their horizons and learn about different ways of being through living in and experiencing another culture. “We wanted to get out of our comfort zone and gain insight about what could be possible,” Ansel said. They realized they had an opportunity to take a year away from their real estate business (Sanger and Sanger) and made plans to teach English in China, hoping to broaden their perspectives and more deeply understand the Asian cultures from which many of their clients come. teaching English was not accomplishing their goal of truly feeling like a part of a community. They were working many hours and had limited time to travel, which was another one of their goals for their time in Asia. So, they left their jobs and traveled for a time around China and southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Cambodia.

Ansel and Josie decided to move to Cambodia and discovered a co-working space where they met entrepreneurs from a variety of countries. They also connected with high school students from Liger Academy, an innovative school that brings together high-potential students from around Cambodia in a project-based learning model. Ansel and Josie volunteered in the school, assisting with the groundbreaking girls’ sports program as well as helping the students create and promote a Kickstarter initiative to fund a low-orbit satellite development program that would be the first space project in the nation. Josie, who was a teacher prior to joining Ansel in real estate, was particularly excited about their involvement with the school. “Having been homeschooled, I’m open to a lot of different education options, and I love the way that

Above: Ansel and Josie explore a temple. Above left: Ansel and Josie at the Great Wall of China.