It has been six years already since I left home for Liger Leadership Academy, my second home. We follow project-based curriculum; students can do research in class and explore difference societies to further their knowledge and gain experience. Project-based learning has helped me develop as a future leader in many different areas: sports, Solar Pi, and Journeys of Change.
Cambodian elders’ perspective is “sports is not for women,” but I don’t think that it is a good idea. Since I came to learn at Liger Leadership Academy, I got opportunities to participate in different sports: swimming, basketball, football and ultimate frisbee. By evolving in sports, I received a lot of opportunities travel to other countries to compete. When I came back, I helped develop a workshop for the students in Cam-kids, Kampong Speu province. Being an instructor helped me give my opinion toward sports and changed the elders’ perspective in women playing sports. Teaching them made me stronger in public speaking and also a stronger leader.
In the government school, students are having lack knowledge toward technology and having lack of technology resources. Liger got requested by the ministry to implement technology labs and English curriculum into two schools. In this project, I am working on making video tutorials about FreeCAD. By working on this project, I help improve Cambodia education, inspire more students into the technology sector, also make them think about the future. Making video tutorials I have to speak really clear so that students can understand and you need to be a great leader to inspire people.
Talking about a leader, I am one of the business managers of Journeys of Change. Journeys of Change is a cultural bike tour experience that had created by 13 Liger Leadership Academy students. This business made to help spread the culture of Cambodia to tourists and expats of Phnom Penh also to find funds to support the student’s future education. The students developed the rout, scripts, marketing idea, and business plan. I am one of the members of JOC that help develop the marketing strategies also a qualified tour guide. To be a tour guide you need to be flexible, responsible, also being a leader that lead the tourists to the insight of Cambodia. Now I employed by Journeys of Change as a business manager which render me more opportunity to be a leader. By join Journeys of Change, I can contribute some changes to my country and my future education.
As a change agent, we can’t estimate how much our actions make a circumstance to society. By these small actions can shift elder perspective to improve the power of women. If we want to be a future change agent to our country, we prerequisite small actions from now and start developing skills. I am Cambodia, and I want to see my country grow but I always ask myself, “How can I involved in that growth.” Kevin E Bowser stated, “It is never too late to be an encouraging leader,” but it not really much to my situation so, I said to myself “It is not too early to be encouraging leader.” To all the students around the world, “Don’t let someone else drag your dream because you are too young.”