Q: What made you want to build a school in Cambodia?
A: I originally got the idea when I saw someone else do it on social media when I was a college student. Being half Cambodian, seeing that really spoke to me and I set a goal to someday do it too. I’m so glad that the goal is now accomplished almost a decade later with the help of my friends Kevin and Dustin.
Q: Who is the school dedicated to?
A: My mom and her family came to the United States as refugees after the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge. A genocide where intellectuals and the educated were targeted. My grandmother, Muyleng, was a Mandarin and French professor at Phnom Penh University at the time. She was specifically taken away and killed by the Khmer Rouge. My uncle, Sokra, was only a child when he died in the countryside where they made people do hard labor. The Prey Kol primary school is dedicated to their memory.
