Yang Leaphea, a Term-VII student majoring in International Relations, was recently awarded a Harpswell Scholarship from the Harpswell Foundation. The award provides her with a full tuition waiver by Agnes Scott College and allows her to study abroad for one year, an award valued at nearly USD 32,000. Agnes Scott is a private, liberal arts women’s college in the United States. In addition to this award, she received an award of over USD 13,000 from the Harpswell Foundation to cover room and board expenses, health insurance, books, and personal experiences. She will begin her studies in August 2011 and return to Cambodia in May 2012.
She will postpone her studies at UC for this opportunity and plans to continue studying International Studies. There are courses on American politics and Southeast Asia politics at Agnes Scott, according to Leaphea, so she is very excited about this learning opportunity.“I want to learn something new, especially in the United States,” she said. “I want to see
how they teach students about politics.”She also said she believes this is an opportunity for her to improve her English skills and to meet new people from around the world. Moreover, she hopes to bring her new knowledge and experiences back to Cambodia.
“If we go outside [of Cambodia] and see different ideas, perspectives, and solutions to problems, we can learn new things and bring them back to Cambodia,” she said.Leaphea plans to pursue a career in diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she emphasized that she believes in peace and conflict resolution.“I want to bring two nations together in peace, and I think conflicts can be solved,” she said.
Her advice to other students interested in study abroad opportunities is to “catch all the opportunities” available to them. According to Leaphea, students need to study hard and do their best all the time. Leaphea was selected as one of this year’s scholarship recipients based on the following six criteria: English language competency, grades, leadership skills, compatibility with the American culture, commitment to help Cambodia, and participation and citizenship in Harpswell dormitory activities. She would like to express her sincere gratitude to the Harpswell Foundation for this incredible learning opportunity.
