Pak Sokly
My name is Pak Sokly, I am 19 years old and I was born and raised in Thlok Srok commune, Traing District, Takeo Province. I’m from a very poor family and have two sibilings. I am the youngest living with farming parents. After graduating from high-school, I decided to continue my studies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh specializing in Khmer literature.
The reason I decided to study Khmer literature is because Khmer literature is a subject that helps me to understand more about the Khmer national identity, culture, civilization, genealogy, traditions, customs, literature, art, and so on. Moreover, I want to pursue my dream to write a novel and make it come true. I seek to expand my knowledge and skills to be able to develop myself, and be able to help my family and society.
My family cannot really afford to send me to university, which makes my time at university really difficult as I have to cope with a lot of expenses like school fees, food costs, accommodation, transportation, and other study materials. All these challenges made me want to drop out of university to find a job to earn money to support myself and family.
Fortunately, I did not drop out of school. I decided to give up negative thoughts about quiting my university and try to think positively, and remind myself that I can definitely do it. I am not going to give up studying because of this problem. Life won’t fail as long as we do not give up; one day we will find the opportunity.
Since, then I have tried my best to look for a scholarship for both study and accommodation so that I can continue at my university. Later, I received a scholarship for accommodation from an organization called Advanced Center for Empwerment (ACE) which provides opportunities for poor-disadvantaged students from other remote provinces to receive free accommodation and participate in charitable activities, volunteer work in the communities, and join leadership and life skills programs.
For me, as a student living in the dormitory, coming from a disadvantaged and less affluent family, ACE has partially eased my burden financially. After staying at ACE, I have learned a lot, including leadership, soft skills, life skills, building good relationships with people around me, helping others, thinking, speaking, building courage, and solving problems.
Finally, I would like to thank ACE as an organization which provides opportunities for underprivileged students like me to get accommodation, training, and work experience for a lifetime. I would like to thank Mr. Chean Toing (JC) AIN for always taking the time to train and give me good ideas and suggestions.
advancedcentreforempowerment.org 