Making an impact for Cambodia

Rising field hockey sophomore Amie Diamond is mature beyond her years.

It has shown in a number of ways, including her recent creation of Caring for Cambodia and subsequent summer internship in the country.

"I've noticed Amie's maturity in her organization of the Caring for Cambodia Committee at Lehigh," said junior captain Steph Fratoni. "She shows so much concern for others, including the people of Cambodia and the members of her committee before thinking about herself. She shows the ability to communicate effectively with peers as well as adults, and is both genuine and direct in doing so."

As stated on its website, Caring for Cambodia is "a non-profit, non-governmental, charitable organization committed to ensuring a high-quality education for 6,400 children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We train their teachers, provide clean, child-friendly classrooms and the essentials for their health and welfare."

Diamond wanted to make a difference and took action, creating a Lehigh chapter of Caring for Cambodia to help fundraise for the overall cause.

"It's amazing that someone so young stepped up and created Caring for Cambodia at Lehigh, giving us a chance to give back too," said senior captain Marie Mignogna.

Diamond has the support of her Mountain Hawk teammates, who all became involved once it was created.

"If it weren't for Amie, I wouldn't be involved in the organization so I'm thankful," said Mignogna. "She really worked hard to fundraise and organize events, which is extremely admirable for such a young girl."

"I am very proud of Amie and her accomplishments," said Lehigh head coach Stacey Blue. "I am not at all surprised that she was an awarded a scholarship that is typically given to upperclassmen. She is always willing to lend a helping hand."

Diamond, who is part of the Global Citizenship program, met Dr. Sothy Eng at a fall retreat where he touched on a summer internship open for sophomores and above.

"At that point, I didn't even think I'd be eligible for the internship," said Diamond. "I emailed him about the presentation and expressed my interest in getting involved."

Diamond connected with Haley Maruschak, a rising junior at Lehigh. With the help of Dr. Eng, they officially co-founded Caring for Cambodia at Lehigh.

"We contacted club affairs and petitioned the senate to start a club," said Diamond. "We created an executive board (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer), created bylaws and brainstormed ideas of different things we'd do throughout the year.

"We gave a presentation to the student senate and two weeks later, the club was approved."

Diamond and Maruschak began activities before the opportunity to apply for the internship arose.

Diamond did some research and found that the Iacocca internships are geared towards sophomores, juniors and seniors, but there's nothing saying freshmen can't apply.

She was told "freshmen never really get them."

"Dr. Eng gave a strong recommendation to the committee who picks these internships," said Diamond.

Anxious, Amie had to wait two weeks longer than expected to hear the verdict.

"I opened my email and saw six attachments. I didn't even read the email," she said. "I saw the attachments, and knew I was going. I was ecstatic. It made my day.

Dr. Eng and his graduate assistant Whitney Szmodis thought highly of Amie, and had these thoughts on her selection.

"Amie's actions and maturity level surpass most students her age. Amie's professional demeanor, consistency and dependability over time were the qualities examined during the selection process.

"Amie's commitment to global issues provided her with the preexisting skills and motivation to be an integral part of Caring for Cambodia at Lehigh. In the months leading up to her internship, Amie was a driving force in the organization of supply drives and events to bring awareness to the projects we have in place to help improve education in Cambodia."

Diamond was overseas for most of June and July. She traveled with Maruschak and rising sophomore Sasha Popova through the Iacocca International Internship (Freeman Grant). Dr. Eng was on the trip as well. In addition, rising juniors Shannon Cassidy and Emily Hu were in Cambodia through the GELH Grant.

After flying into Phom Penh, the students took a bus to Siem Reap where they spent the rest of their time.

"In the first two weeks, we familiarized ourselves with the different Caring for Cambodia schools that they operate. There are 21 schools total, but there's around seven they actually run the day-to-day curriculum," said Diamond.

"I went to see all the schools and talk with some of the principals, get introduced to teachers and see the students."

Diamond's focus was on volunteer trips.

"I created materials for the program director that they could use in advertising and give to future volunteers," said Diamond. "On a given day, I would create these materials and send drafts, receive feedback and keep revising these drafts of the material."

Diamond faced several challenges, the most obvious being a language barrier, which she grew accustomed to.

"It was difficult to communicate, but everyone was really friendly," she said.

Diamond was taken aback by the attitude towards schooling.

"A student burst into tears because she had to drop out of school," said Diamond. "Her parents were making her because they needed her to earn income and couldn't afford to put her in school anymore. It's really upsetting to see. Cambodians view school as a burden. Even though it's free, it's income that's being taken away from the family because the children can't work.

The overall difference in culture was obvious, and expected.

"Culturally, it was different," said Diamond. "They're a very religious country. You would take your shoes off before you enter certain buildings and would dress more conservatively. But it wasn't very difficult to adapt to their culture."

The experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one Amie would recommend to Lehigh students.

"I would recommend traveling to Cambodia, or Asia in general," she said. "There's a lot to be learned in Third World countries. It's a humbling experience to see people who have nothing, but are still happy."

Lehigh offers endless opportunities for students, with this as a perfect example.

"Lehigh offers these Iacocca International Internships to so many different countries," said Diamond. "Not many schools have the fully-funded internships that we do. It's not just studying abroad and taking classes. You actually get to be working in a real job, working with other people."

The internship was especially accommodating for Diamond, a student-athlete with a hectic schedule.

"They were really flexible with my schedule," she said. "They didn't mind that I'm a student-athlete. They were pleased that I was so interested to go abroad and were willing to work with me in accommodating my schedule during the internship process.

"I would definitely recommend going somewhere that's off the beaten path," Diamond continued. "You could go to Europe or South America any time you want, but when else in your life would you have an opportunity like this?"

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Bucknell University on November 1, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 5

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Rider University on October 26, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 1

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus American University on October 24, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Virginia Commonwealth University on October 19, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Holy Cross on October 18, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Cornell University on October 12, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Colgate University on October 11, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0

Lehigh University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos