Chea Leangsrun, a Term-II student majoring in Literature in the College of Arts and Humanities, was selected as one of six fellowship recipients for the Undergraduate Intensive English Language Study Program (UIELSP). He will study in an eight-week intensive English language program in the United States. The fellowship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. Leangsrun will start the program at Utah State University in June 2011.
Leangsrun said that he was very excited about this opportunity to study abroad and plans to study English, leadership, and civic engagement during the program, which aims to help students improve their English proficiency and academic background. “International learning experiences allow students to open up our minds to not only what is here, but also what is out there in the world,” he said.
He looks forward to sharing his experiences as a Cambodian university student with American students and other foreign students in the program. When he comes back from the United States, he expects to use his newly acquired knowledge to help him be more successful in his academic courses. It is also important that he shares his study abroad experience and anything else he may learn with his friends here in Cambodia, he added.
Leangsrun plans to pursue a Master’s Degree after he completes his undergraduate studies and aspires to become a lecturer or professor at a university in the future. Like many other UC students, Leangsrun wants to help contribute to human resource development in Cambodia.“I want to share my knowledge with the younger generation to help improve them and [help them achieve] success,” he said.
While studying in the United States, he hopes to learn more about environmental issues and to do volunteer work in this area. According to Leangsrun, he became interested in this after taking a course at UC focused on the environment and development and believes this to be an important issue for Cambodians.
This will be the first visit to a foreign country for Leangsrun, and both he and his family are excited for this valuable learning experience. Leangsrun, who is originally from Takeo Province, was a recipient of the 2009 Hun Sen-Handa 500 National Scholarships after he earned one of the top scores on a competitive scholarship exam, which tested English proficiency and Khmer general knowledge. The scholarship covers full tuition fees at UC for four years and allows recipients to pursue undergraduate degrees from any of the six colleges at UC. The University offers its warmest congratulations to Chea Leangsrun and wishes him the very best in his endeavors in the US. We look forward to hearing about his experience when he returns and sharing his story with the UC community.
