This former Buddhist monk left life at the monastery behind – but not his community

RadioActive Youth Media is a program here at KUOW that gives young people the skills and resources to do public radio journalism.

The program launched 20 years ago. And on Soundside, we’ve been reconnecting with some of these journalists to get an update on the people and RadioActive reporters behind these stories.

Today, we’re revisiting a story from RadioActive alum Annika Prom.

Back in 2018, Prom brought listeners the story of Venerable Prenz Sa-Ngoun a then 20 year-old Cambodian-American Buddhist monk.

During a Khmer student conference in 2013, Sa-Ngoun realized that many Cambodian-American youth were out of touch with their culture.

“What really caught my eye was that many of the students didn’t know how to greet me. Some of them were intimidated," Sa-Ngoun said. "I realized that there’s a lack of communication between the generations about culture and religion.”

He decided that the best way to build a bridge between generations was to go where the youth were spending a lot of time — social media.

Through YouTube videos and Instagram posts, Sa-Ngoun explained Buddhist practices and principles to viewers.

Listen to the original story: How this young Buddhist monk uses Instagram to connect with Khmer youth

A lot has changed since Prom’s story aired six years ago. One major thing — Sa-Ngoun is no longer a monk. Meanwhile, Prom graduated from college. Both are still devoted to serving the Seattle area’s Khmer community.

Today, Sa-Ngoun works for a local food bank, and Prom is a program coordinator for the Cambodian American Community Council of Washington, or CACCWA.

They run into each other from time to time, but they haven’t had a chance to sit face to face and catch up in years. So Annika Prom and Prenz Sa-Ngoun sat down in KUOW's studio to talk about Sa-Ngoun's decision to leave the monastery, and how they both continue to explore their identities as Cambodian Americans.

Listen to the full interview with Annika Prom and Prenz Sa-Ngoun by clicking the play button at the top of the story.