University Education for Young Women in Cambodia

CATALYST provides GATE graduates and high school graduates from low-income Cambodian families with scholarships, rice support, leadership training, and mentoring so they can pursue their dreams of studying at the university level.

As a part of our CATALYST program, Lotus Outreach Cambodia (LOCAM) organizes workshops for CATALYST scholars to encourage scholars to engage in meaningful conversations and professional training that go beyond the scope of their academic studies. 

In July and August, LOCAM hosted the first ever panel discussions for CATALYST scholars in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, around the theme of ‘Young Leaders.’ LOCAM identified three professionals from different fields to participate in each panel discussion. The aim was to inspire scholars with stories and experiences from these successful professionals and give them the opportunity to ask questions and set personal goals. 

As the word spread, many other institutes expressed interest in attending the discussion and the event was finally capped at 82 participants in Phnom Penh and 115 participants in Siem Reap including CATALYST university scholars, GATE scholars who are in their final year of high school, students from partner institute Bayon Pastry & Agriculture School, as well as students and staff from Caring For Cambodia, Build Bright University, Students of Paññasastra University of Cambodia, LSI Business School, Le Don Du Chour, University of South East Asia, Happy Chandara School, Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center, and even some CATALYST alumni!

After a brief introduction, the conversation opened up to questions from attendees. Scholars were excited to have an impressive group of panelists and asked many questions about leadership mentality and success. They were inspired to hear of the unique challenges that each of the panelists faced in achieving their goals and came to recognize the potential of challenges giving way to strength that would ultimately support growth. 

Some CATALYST scholars shared their reflections following the discussion:

“The Young Leaders Panel Discussion was a very fruitful and valuable experience for me. The speakers were very intelligent and have given me so many important tips… [They] taught me so much about helping others, no matter how big or small your contribution is, it is still important.” 

– Sreymoon

“After participating in the Young Leaders panel discussion, I felt that all the speakers were such great people as they were able to become very successful in their career. My favorite speaker was Mrs. Oung Chanthol, because she has studied in many different countries, especially Harvard University, which is my dream university. She worked very hard in order to overcome her obstacles. I felt so lucky to have been able to sit down and listen to her life experiences and her statements about leadership. I would like to ask Lotus Outreach to create more good training courses for us to take as an example and a path to move forward and pursue our goals. Finally, I would like to say thank you to Lotus Outreach and staff of the CATALYST project for creating such a fruitful panel discussion.”

-Sreynich

“After listening to the panel discussion, for me personally, I feel very happy to attend this session. The speaker shared so much about their own personal experiences and their life lessons. There were some sad stories as well as some funny ones which made me listen attentively without feeling bored or sleepy. All three of them made me understand, “Who is a leader?”, “What is the point of being a good and successful leader?” and how to become a good leader towards yourself, your family, your workplace, as well as your community. We learned points that will make us a leader who is respected and loved by those around us. Finally, I love the statement, “Do not think of every problem as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to grow and be more valuable.”

-Synan

"I was very excited when I got the chance to meet such incredible leaders and learn from them. I was very fascinated by their life experiences and their different views of leadership. I also learned about how to communicate effectively as a leader and the skills we need to become an efficient leader. I hope that this panel discussion will fuel my determination to pursue my goals and become a good leader in the future. I also hope that Lotus Outreach Cambodia will provide more workshops like this in order to inspire potential leaders."

-Lyna

"I am very honored to have a chance to participate in this panel discussion and meet such wonderful panelists. To be honest, when I first heard the word ‘leadership’, I always thought about responsibilities which inspires me but scares me at the same time as well. However, after I listened and concentrated to our panelists’ experiences and their life journey, I suddenly realized that everyone has their own story and there are always stories behind a successful person. I learned that to be a good leader, you need to have both hard and soft skills. In fact, soft skills have more attribution to our success more than hard skills do. They shared that the soft skills are referred to what is inside us like the way that we speak to other people or the way we communicate and get along with other people; especially, our attitude, morals, and values. We also need problem solving skills because, to be a leader, we have to take a high-risk responsibility that may occurs immediately in front of us.

- Phanny

The event in Siem Reap concluded with a surprise award ceremony where four former team leaders at CATALYST residences were given certificates of appreciation in recognition of their dedication and leadership. They were overjoyed to have been recognized on stage.

We are so thrilled that LOCAM was able to facilitate this discussion and hope to continue to foster relationships that inspire and ignite these scholars as they reach for their dreams and go on to benefit their families and communities.