Sam Farnham ’22

Global Leader

Ever since his first Country Day international experience visiting Cabo San Lucas in sixth grade, senior Sam Farnham has been drawn to global engagement opportunities. He followed up the Cabo experience with an exchange to Southampton, England, in eighth grade. When Sam moved to Upper School, that quest for international immersion was further fueled by the many opportunities available through the Office of International Studies, and the tailored support of its director David Lynn.

A conversation Sam had with Mr. Lynn more than two years ago, just a few months before anyone knew the pandemic would shut down international travel, gave the then-sophomore an opportunity to continue to flex his passion for global affairs and grow significantly as a leader. In fact, in the fall, Sam was named as the recipient of the 2021 Youth Leadership Award for Sister Cities International (SCI). “This is a significant honor and one in which Sam is most deserving,” says Mr. Lynn.

That early 2020 conversation involved Mr. Lynn asking Sam if he was interested in serving as a volunteer summer intern to help reestablish Charlotte Sister Cities as a nonprofit. At the same time, Sam was also excited about the upcoming service-learning trip to Hungary. While the latter got cancelled, Sam spent much of the COVID lockdown creating the organization’s website. The task involved extensive research on Charlotte’s seven sister cities, as well as interviews with many community leaders.

According to Mr. Lynn, “Sam’s work was so impactful that upon successful completion of his internship, the Steering Committee unanimously voted to have him join their ranks as the first full-voting student member.” Sam subsequently created the Charlotte Sister Cities Youth Leadership Committee, which he co-chairs alongside a sophomore at Davidson.

The group of 12 students representing public and private schools across Charlotte is developing a third-grade curriculum with a unit for each of the seven sister cities. “We are trying to bring an authentic perspective to teach children about these unique cultures and cities,” explains Sam. Additionally, they are working with teachers at CMS and area private schools, professors at UNC Charlotte, and curriculum development leaders to ensure the lessons integrate literacy and math skills, along with state standards.

“It’s been tough, but also fulfilling,” says Sam who spent the greater part of this past summer on the project and continues into the school year. “At first it was difficult for me as the leader to figure out how to take this huge project and break it down into smaller chunks with reasonable goals. But now we have a great system in place and all the students on the team are creative and driven.”

Though Sam has spent more than two years working on projects to elevate Charlotte Sister Cities, he is humbled by the national award he won. “As I was doing the volunteer work for Charlotte Sister Cities, I never really thought about winning an award for it,” he says. “For me, it kind of underscored the impact I was having on my community in Charlotte. It made me feel very proud of my effort and very thankful for Mr. Lynn—for his leadership and mentorship because I couldn’t have done any of these things without him and his connections.”

Sam also credits his Spanish language teachers starting in fifth grade. “They are so passionate about their cultures and that has really inspired me to be internationally minded.”

Sam also loves science and is interested in pursuing a career in biochemistry or biotech. “I hope to someday have a job in the sciences overseas and be able to use what I’ve learned to adapt and adjust to another culture and use my language fluency. The great thing about international studies is that it can be applied to any future career.”

To see the website Sam built, visit charlottesistercities.org.