One of the 12 boyswho was rescued from a cave in Thailand in 2018is now embracing his current life as a college student in America.In an interview withTodaythat aired on Wednesday, Adul Samon — now a freshman at Vermont’s Middlebury College — acknowledged that five years after the harrowing rescue, he has a lot to be thankful for. “I think everything (that) surrounds us is (a) miracle," he said.On June 23, 2018, a group of youth soccer teammates and their coach were exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Thailand when heavy rains and rising floodwaters obstructed their path and prevented them from leaving. At the time,they had no food and little oxygen. They were trapped for over two weeks until they were rescued in an operation that involved 19 divers.“It’s really hard for a young teenager who was only 14 years old to have that experience,” the teen toldToday. “We were dropped in this small cave or space and then we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t see a light, we couldn’t hear anything.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The teen was accustomed to personal obstacles having grown up in poverty in Myanmar. Being the oldest of six children in his family served him well during the ordeal as he was able to serve as a big brother figure to his teammates. He was one of the few boys who knew how to speak English, perABC News.In a recent interview withThe Middlebury Campusschool newspaper, the student shared that he “was able to use my skill of speaking English to communicate with the British divers.“After being rescued, Samon’s story caught the attention of Laura Danforth, the headmaster at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She welcomed him to her school in 2020 and brought him in contact with a host family.“He feels as though his higher power has put all of these obstacles in his way to test him,” Danforth said, perToday. “And he’s just doing fine on that test.”Before becoming a student at Middlebury College, the school awarded Samon its inaugural Global Citizen’s Award in 2019.“Adul’s inspiring story is exactly what we had in mind for the Global Citizen’s Award,” said Laurie Patton, the school’s president, in anews releaseat the time. “Our intention is to recognize a person who, through their communication skills and compassion, are able to change the world with no expectation of being in the limelight—a global citizen who has been working without recognition.”As for his studies, Samon toldTodaythat he’s interested in medicine but hasn’t yet decided on a major just yet. “I’m still exploring,” he said.
One of the 12 boyswho was rescued from a cave in Thailand in 2018is now embracing his current life as a college student in America.
In an interview withTodaythat aired on Wednesday, Adul Samon — now a freshman at Vermont’s Middlebury College — acknowledged that five years after the harrowing rescue, he has a lot to be thankful for. “I think everything (that) surrounds us is (a) miracle,” he said.
On June 23, 2018, a group of youth soccer teammates and their coach were exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in northern Thailand when heavy rains and rising floodwaters obstructed their path and prevented them from leaving. At the time,they had no food and little oxygen. They were trapped for over two weeks until they were rescued in an operation that involved 19 divers.
“It’s really hard for a young teenager who was only 14 years old to have that experience,” the teen toldToday. “We were dropped in this small cave or space and then we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t see a light, we couldn’t hear anything.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The teen was accustomed to personal obstacles having grown up in poverty in Myanmar. Being the oldest of six children in his family served him well during the ordeal as he was able to serve as a big brother figure to his teammates. He was one of the few boys who knew how to speak English, perABC News.
In a recent interview withThe Middlebury Campusschool newspaper, the student shared that he “was able to use my skill of speaking English to communicate with the British divers.”
After being rescued, Samon’s story caught the attention of Laura Danforth, the headmaster at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She welcomed him to her school in 2020 and brought him in contact with a host family.
“He feels as though his higher power has put all of these obstacles in his way to test him,” Danforth said, perToday. “And he’s just doing fine on that test.”
Before becoming a student at Middlebury College, the school awarded Samon its inaugural Global Citizen’s Award in 2019.“Adul’s inspiring story is exactly what we had in mind for the Global Citizen’s Award,” said Laurie Patton, the school’s president, in anews releaseat the time. “Our intention is to recognize a person who, through their communication skills and compassion, are able to change the world with no expectation of being in the limelight—a global citizen who has been working without recognition.”
As for his studies, Samon toldTodaythat he’s interested in medicine but hasn’t yet decided on a major just yet. “I’m still exploring,” he said.
source: people.com
