Dreaming Big: Our Cambodia Higher Education Students

For many teens in rural Cambodia, the dream of completing high school and earning a university degree is well beyond their reach. Since 2017, it’s been our honor to help put this dream well within reach of four cohorts of incredible young adults. These impressive students are dedicated not only to succeeding academically but also to helping improve the lives of their families and communities.

Valerie, a first-year accounting student at the University of Management and Economics, is one of several young people in our program who is a major support for their families.

Because her family suffered economically due to the pandemic, Valerie has been working full-time in a factory and taking online classes on the weekends.

Danna is well into the first year of her four-year nursing program, currently taking her online classes at home.

Danna’s most challenging class is Anatomy — not because of the content itself but because it is presented entirely in French, a language she did not know. However, she is now taking French lessons and, always an excellent student, says of herself, “Despite the hardships, I never gave up or was too lazy. I have to do my best!”

When Brad applied for a Love Without Boundaries scholarship two years ago, he stated, “I want to be a master farmer and help the farmers in my community.” He has kept this goal front and center.

Recently, with schools still closed to in-person learning, Brad has been building this mushroom laboratory on his family’s farm, saying again, “I want to do everything for agriculture in my community.”

Nancy, a third-year law student at the American University of Phnom Penh, organized an online fund-raiser for pedicab drivers in Phnom Penh who had lost their livelihood because of the pandemic.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Love Without Boundaries has been called upon to make food deliveries to needy families in nearby villages.

Joe and Natasha — both of whom will soon graduate – gave their time and energy for recent deliveries.

Tiana is now her first year as an auditing and taxation major.

She has been putting her math skills to good use by volunteering as a math tutor to our high school seniors as they prepare for their all-important Cambodian National Exam in December.

As you can see, many of these students are driven to not only succeed to secure their own futures but realize the importance of serving their communities.

In the coming two months, many of our first cohort of university students will be graduating. We look forward to seeing their big dreams realized and the ways in which they will continue to touch the lives of others!

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