I am Small, but my Dreams are Not
By Sopoan Keo, ACE Teacher
The Phnom Penh-based Harpswell Foundation seeks to educate, empower and develop bright young Cambodian women from the countryside to become leaders. Harpswell has given me the opportunity to become an independent, professional and confident woman. I lived in a Harpswell dormitory while I completed a Bachelor of Education at IFL. Harpswell not only awarded me a scholarship, but also provided a bi-weekly leadership seminar.
Via a Harpswell-Bowdoin Scholarship, I had the opportunity to complete a one-year-exchange program at Bowdoin College, Maine, US. I remember walking out of JFK airport in September 2015 feeling overwhelmed by a crowd of strangers, but at the same time feeling very proud for realising my childhood dream. I obtained the scholarship through a lot of hard work. Here are some tips I would like to share:
- Commitment: Show a genuine commitment to hard work and the will to achieve good results at university.
- Preparation: I started to prepare on the day I heard about the scholarship. Writing my personal statement was not an easy task. I asked many people to proofread my draft. I then had to take an IELTS test, for which I created a study schedule and practiced regularly. As a result, I received the required band score.
- Experience: I was nominated by my dorm-mates to be a Harpswell team leader for two years. In that role, I was able to enhance my leadership skills. In 2014, I was a Sarus awardee to Vietnam, which inspired me to be a teacher and broadened my perspective on education.
My US college education, independent life and travel experiences have boosted my self-confidence and shaped my decision-making, as well as benefiting my career enormously. I spend a lot of time at the library and am highly interested in books. During my time in the US, I made many friends and got to know a lot of warm-hearted people.
To learn more, go to: www.harpswellfoundation.org