Sabbatical - Gloria Min

For Gloria Min, a project manager in the San Francisco office, her sabbatical in November 2010 was truly a tale of two hemispheres.

While the first parts of her time off were rewarding, including reconnecting on a European trip with her sister and attending a friend's wedding, it was her time in Cambodia that may have been the most eye-opening.

As a volunteer with Groundwork Opportunities (founded by former Slalom consultant Bart Skorupa), along with three other Slalom staff from the SF Office, Gloria's Cambodian trip took her to the Kampong Speu slums, one of the most impoverished parts of the country.

Through work with the Sao Sary Foundation she was able to offer support to a group of about 24 girls who either had experienced, or were at high risk of, human trafficking. 

Overall, she says, what she got out of the experience surprised her. "I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to change their world.' I thought I would work hard and have an impact, but then I realized I have learned so much from them," she said.  "Hopefully, it will spark a lifelong commitment in myself, and others, to continue to do good work."