David Biggs received his BA in History from the University of North Carolina in 1992 and then left behind his worldly possessions to become a volunteer English teacher in Vietnam. He discovered an affinity for Vietnamese culture and places, especially rural villages, while working with Volunteers in Asia, a non-profit that sends American college grads to teach in Asian colleges. This experience led him to study Vietnam’s environmental history at the University of Washington from 1996 to 2004. As a graduate student, he received several grants and awards including two Fulbrights and a Blakemore Fellowship.