Have you ever looked deeper into your family’s history? AHS freshman Liza Vecchiarello and Paxton Seward and sophomore Morgan Melahn all have something very fascinating about their history in common, they were all born in Cambodia in Southeast Asia.

Freshman Liza Vecchiarello was born in Cambodia and adopted at five months old by the Vecchiarello family where she lived in El Jebel for a couple years and then Aspen for the majority of her life.

“I don’t remember much about living there because I was so young when we moved. Although, when I see photos and videos, it was sunny. There were a lot of people riding bikes on dirt roads. The orphanage was one big room, no windows, hanging baskets – Which is where we [the orphans] slept since there were no cribs. Running around outside were a bunch of animals; goats, ducks, sheep. And the camera was always blurry, so I’m assuming it was very humid,” Vecchiarello said.

Vecchiarello has no plans of going back to visit yet, but she keeps the Cambodian value of family close to her heart and although she knows little about her families history, she will always keep her roots in mind throughout her life.

Freshman Paxton Seward was adopted at six weeks from her Cambodian family and moved to Aspen, Colorado. Seward remembers little to nothing about her life and family in Cambodia yet she is eager to go back and learn more about the Cambodian traditions and way of life.

“Since I was young, I’ve celebrated the Cambodian New Years and I’ve been attending a Cambodian heritage camp,” Seward said.

Chaul Chnam Thmey in the Khmer Language is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrates the New Year. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year’s Day, which usually falls on April 13 or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.

The first day of the celebration is called Maha Songkran. During this day, people dress up, light candles, and burn incense sticks at shrines, where the members of each family pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha’s teachings by bowing, kneeling, and prostrating themselves three times before him. The second day is called Virak Wanabat. On this day, people contribute charity to the less fortunate by helping the poor, servants, homeless, and low-income families. Lastly, the third day, Virak loeurng Sak, is when Buddhists cleanse the Buddha statues and their elders with perfumed water to symbolize that water will be needed for all kinds of plants and lives. It is also thought to be a kind deed that will bring longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life.

Sophomore Morgan Melahn was too adopted from Cambodia at six weeks old. Her biological parents died around the same time as her birth so she was adopted by the Melahn family and has lived in Aspen ever since. She remembers close to nothing about Cambodia specifically but is hopeful she will learn more soon.

“My parents and I have been planning a trip to Cambodia in the near future. It is very important to me to learn about my family history and learn about the place I could have called home,” Melahn said.

The thing these three girls share is not just a cool similarity; it is background a select few can say they have and a chance to celebrate their roots during AHS’s Unity Week. The goal of Unity week is to celebrate all the diversity AHS has and gives students and faculty a chance to stop and think about their roots and where they came from.