Our club is sponsoring a second university student in Cambodia, a poor but diligent girl Sokhey. Here's her letter to us (slightly edited) about her life and studies. Note her excellent English. Sokhey pictured below, tallest in back row.
Hello Rotary Club of Keilor East!First of all, I am delighted at the surprising news that you are my new sponsor. I cannot describe my feelings and emotions now but I will tell you what I can tell. I want to meet you in person and say thank you to you again. I would like to share with you about myself, my family’s situation, my study, as well as my current positions at Cambodia Rural Students Trust (CRST).
I am 19 years old. I have three older sisters and a brother. My family is very poor. I wanted to continue my studies but my family didn’t have enough money. They have no specific jobs. They are just farmers but they don’t know much about growing plants well. My older sister had already married once but she now broke up and is living with my parents. Moreover, my father has health problems so he cannot work hard. My mother works on the farm every year. We do not have enough rice to eat per year; therefore, we need to borrow some from our neighbours and pay them back after we harvest. My mother urges me to study because she believes education can change my life.
Furthermore, I applied for a scholarship from CRST twice before, in 2020 and 2021. I wanted to learn, I wanted to change my life, and I loved to help other people around me. When I joined CRST, I had a lot of opportunities to volunteer. I actually changed my life a lot . I grew up to be an independent girl and walk in the right path.
Additionally, I studied at Future Bright International School when I joined CRST, one of the outstanding private schools in Siem Reap. I was not a good student in the class because I did not have enough time to study. However, I didn’t give up and instead, I worked extremely hard on studying. Finally, I got grade C which was considered a good grade during the national exam of my high school. I was so proud of myself even though it was not the result I preferred, but I had already done my best. It felt fantastic to get it.
Now, I am studying an English program called IEAP at Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC). This class is organized to make students ready to be freshmen and this is an English-based university, so we need to understand English well. I started to study there at beginner level and now I am studying level one. I got grade B for the final test of beginner level. 
I was promoted to be a Campus External Team Department member after I graduated from high school. I work with the external (non-NGO) team members on high school students’ meals. I also work on campus with a caretaker and security guard company. And I work with restaurant owners to make food for high school students. One more thing, I was promoted to be a "Project G --Empowering Girls" production team member. I am being trained now and I have more responsibility.
Best regards,
Sokhey
Best regards,
Sokhey