Hooray! I've graduated!

Making an impact takes effort and time, and we don’t often have an opportunity to witness the ripple effects until years after.   Today, this is not the case!  Come and join us to congratulate 15 of our deserving children who have just tossed their graduation hats in the air!

These children come from different walks of life with some being orphans at a young age or their families are living below the poverty line.  However, one thing connects them together and that  is the thirst for education and their dreams to a brighter future.  

Our founder Victoria caught up with these fresh graduates recently in the village which brings so much joy.  While chatting with 17-year-old Sreymey who has been on PeopleStories scholarship since 2019, she shared, “My favourite subject at school is Biology, the reason is because I love to do Biology exercises and having discussions with my friends. Everytime I study this subject I always think about my health, it makes me feel connected. I can apply a lot of lessons into my daily life.”

Sreymey was relocated from the village and moved to the capital city of Phnom Penh for her PeopleStories STEM4Girls scholarship in 2020.  Vic was curious about her experience and Sreymey shared with sparks from her eyes, “I have been on a PeopleStories scholarship for 4 years and now graduated from High School. I feel excited, emotional, grateful…There are many feelings mixed together.”

With a few giggles, she continued, “I am excited because I am now graduated, and there’s new exploring waiting for me.”

Vic was also curious about Sreymey’s high school years, especially being away from home as a young girl and Sreymey explained, “High School memories with friends and all the activities we did together. I could finish High School in Phnom Penh because of the scholarship from PeopleStories, I am so grateful to get this scholarship and receive all the care from the PeopleStories family. I am also feeling proud that I can go through all the hard times and continued my journey until I finished it without thinking to stop in the middle of the way” 

We are so proud to witness the personal growth of Sreymey and her hard work plus determination to a brighter future is inspiring.  What about her proudest moment?  Sreymey echoed, “My proudest achievement is getting the scholarship in grade nine. This first year scholarship is the most important point. PeopleStories noticed me and offered me more opportunities, especially the STEM4GIRLS scholarship which let me go to PP and continue High School.”

It is a great feeling when one is gearing up for some exciting changes in life!  As for Sreymey, while she is exploring various options to further her education she is also keen to work on something that is fundamentally important.  

Sreymey explained, “What I hope to get better at next year is my communication skills. It’s really important! If I have talent but poor communication, then it will be hard for both career and daily life. All these years, I did not talk much with others and always stayed alone. I always think that it’s fine, but it’s not, I mostly feel lonely without knowing. I started to train myself to communicate more, and I wish I could be better at it next year”​

Not everyday we get to change someone’s life but we can always help to make those positive changes to the many deserving children.  Our sincere invitation to you to join our purposeful journey and support a child’s education.

With less than $1 a day, you can also help a child like Sreymey to pursue their dreams and to a brighter future.  Make a donation today: https://bit.ly/PS_Donate2023

Story written by volunteer: Josie Lyttle