Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

With the  New Year, come new opportunities for three students in our college program.

Ms. T , age 20  

We have written about Ms. T before.  She is now age 20. In the years that we have known her, she has  consistently demonstrated the highest standards of hard work and pursuit of excellence.   A dedicated dance student for more than 7 years, last year Ms. T became an assistant dance teacher at our Champey Academy.  In addition to teaching  dance, she also  assists in welcoming tourist guests to our school and explaining the program to our guests. Amazingly, her strong  English language skills are almost entirely self taught.    Having come from a dysfunctional family, Ms. T became self supporting at  age 17 , initially living on campus at Champey and with Champey’s permission, outfitting  a storage closet as a mini-apartment.  Ms. T’s accomplishments are considerable.   Her hard work and strong skills have enabled her to move forward as an assistant teacher and become entirely self supporting  including outside housing.

Ms. T will continue teaching at Champey as she begins   her first year at university. The first year, she will study foundational classes  in the evenings at  Western University in Phnom Penh. Upon completion of these classes, her goal is to pursue a degree in International Relations.

Ms.  V, age 19

Ms. V works in the office at our Champey Academy.  She  is the primary person responsible for greeting the many tourists who visit the school each year as well as  developing and managing relationships with the various tour companies who bring guests to Champey. Ms. V is truly  fluent in English and she  is a recent graduate of the ACE, the Australian Center for English, which is generally considered to be the best for-profit English language program in Phnom Penh. Ms. V is now in her first  year  at university. Upon completion of the foundational classes, she will begin studying international Relations at Western University in Phnom Penh in the evenings.

Ms. S, age 29

We have written about Ms. S before.  Now , age 29,  Ms. S has  added another  remarkable achievement to an already impressive resume of accomplishments. Ms. S has been admitted to Institute for Foreign Languages ( IFL)  to pursue a post graduate program in English. The program is a rigorous and intensive  program. All applicants are required  by the IFL to have an   outstanding level of achievement for admission.

The IFL is an institute under the Royal University of Phnom Penh Campus. It consists of the department of Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai and International Studies.  While precise admission figures are not available, it is estimated that about 11% of all applicants to the Royal University achieve admission and within that,  it is estimated that  1 in 5 applicants to the IFL are accepted into the IFL programs.

As you will recall, Ms. S completed her bachelor’s degree  in English late last year. Her BA was a key requirement for eligibility to apply to the IFL program. All applicants are required to have at least a BA or Associate degree.  Additionally, applicants must pass a rigorous oral and written 90  entrance exam administered by the IFL’s Admission Committee.

Throughout her college years, Ms. S  has been  working full time ( 6 days per week)  doing bookkeeping and accounting , in the office at Champey Academy of Arts in Phnom Penh. By selecting the evening study shift, Ms. S will be able  to continue her full time  work in the office at Champey and support herself  as she works toward her degree.

Ms. S has been receiving various types of support from Kasumisou Foundation programs since she was about 5 years old. She has always been one of our brightest stars.

Your support

Your generous support has made these opportunities possible for  these three talented young women. Your support has  forever changed their lives , enabling them to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams  .

Thankyou for your generous support !

Barbara & Mark Rosasco 

More  congratulations to Ms. S for her  dedication, passion,  pursuit and achievement of excellence!  

Ms. S, age 28, has  added another  remarkable achievement to an already impressive resume of accomplishments. Ms. S has been admitted to Institute for Foreign Languages ( IFL)  to pursue a post graduate program in English. The program is a rigorous and intensive  program and an  outstanding level of achievement by all  applicants  is  required by the IFL for admission.

The IFL is an institute under the Royal University of Phnom Penh Campus. It consists of the department of Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai and International Studies.  While precise admission figures are not available, it is estimated that about 11% of all applicants to the Royal University achieve admission and within that,  it is estimated that  1 in 5 applicants to the IFL are accepted into the IFL programs.

As you will recall, Ms. S completed her bachelor’s degree  in English late last year . In May , Ms. S walked  in the  official graduation ceremony  of her university, the Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC).   Her BA was a key requirement for eligibility to apply to the IFL program. All applicants are required to have at least a BA or Associate degree in any field.  Additionally, applicants must pass a rigorous 90 minute entrance exam administered by the IFL’s Admission Committee.

Once accepted by IFL, students select a study shift ( morning, afternoon or evening) when submitting their applications. Once selected, the study shift cannot be changed.

By selecting the evening study shift, Ms. S will be able  to continue her full time  work in the office at Champey and support herself  as she works toward her degree.

Throughout her college years, Ms. S  has been  working full time ( 6 days per week)  doing bookkeeping and accounting , in the office at Champey Academy of Arts in Phnom Penh. Champey Academy is Kasumisou Foundation’s arts school which provides instruction in traditional arts (dance, music, drawing and painting) to young people in Phnom Penh totally free of charge.

Ms. S has a long history of courage, determination and a quest for excellence.

Since she was just a toddler, Ms. S and her family have  received support of various kinds from Kasumisou Foundation and economic sponsorship for her education from one very generous family in New York City.

Although at times during  those many years, Ms. S  and her family sometimes experienced significant hardship,  Ms. S never waivered in her pursuit and achievement of her goals, eventually  completing  her bachelor’s degree  in English late last year from the Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC).  PUC is a private university that was originally established in1997 and opened in 2000. PUC is the first higher learning institution in Cambodia that  provides an English- based education in all subjects and it  is officially  accredited by Cambodia’s Ministry of Education.

This very talented and motivated young woman already speaks excellent English and she is now looking forward to stepping into her dream goal of post graduate studies in English  at the prestigious Institute for Foreign Language.  The estimated tuition cost is $600-$800 per year and we hope to be able to continue to provide her with significant financial support through employment at Champey and with funds from this,  our college program.

Please !  Join with us in celebrating this latest achievement by Ms. S.  We are so proud of her indomitable spirit, her personal  educational achievements and her growth and transformation into such remarkable young woman!

We have remarked before that there is a tendency by all of  to stand by and watch world events and bemoan that we, as individuals, cannot change “ the world”. Yet, here is Ms. S, who, over the years,  has become an accomplished , remarkable young adult. Your support  has is what has empowered  her to change her world bitt by bit .  Our heartfelt thanks to all of you, our wonderful donors who have helped to make this journey possible for Ms. S and for your generous future  support for other students who continue to work toward their dreams. 

 Barbara & Mark