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Sovanchay Tra

My name is Sovanchhay Tra, and I was born in 2001. I first joined TASSEL as a teacher assistant in 2019 and I am currently teaching at the Roka branch. Before becoming a TASSEL teacher, I was a TASSEL student alongside my two younger sisters for a very long time. I finally graduated from the university in 2022. My entire family consists of six members: my parents and three siblings. Nowadays, I live with my parents and my two younger sisters, as my oldest brother works far away from home. 


From a young age, I always dreamed of having a higher education and becoming a teacher. My parents value education and they worked tirelessly day and night to ensure we had a bright future ahead of us. I grew up in a poor family and there were times when we barely had enough food to eat. My father often went fishing far from home, while my mother prepared meals for us. My siblings and I truly wanted to study English since many kids in my village were studying English at that time. However, affording school fees was a significant challenge for my parents, therefore, we almost gave up studying English many times. Fortunately, we found TASSEL. My sisters and I used to study at TASSEL for a long time, ultimately we graduated from level 12. Without Tassel, our English wouldn’t be what it is today. I am so thankful that we could study English there without paying the school fees. For that reason, my parents didn’t have to worry much about our study payments, so they worked hard and spent on food and other supplies. As children, not only did we study hard, but I never forgot to help my parents since they are getting older day by day. I couldn’t be more thankful for what they had done for all of us.


After I graduated high school, I was worried whether I would have enough money to continue my education. Fortunately, I graduated with a good grade, hence I received a full scholarship to pursue a four-year degree at a university. After spending years with TASSEL, my life had significant changes. During my second year at the university, I finally decided to be an English teacher at TASSEL. I started as a teacher assistant when I was 18. Despite having no prior experience, the Khmer teachers were so kind and guided me in many ways. Moreover, I have been encouraged by TASSEL’s teachers. All of their actions touched my heart, and I truly respect them as my role models. Additionally, TASSEL is dedicated to various special missions, including a vital mission which is teaching English for free to the poor children. Although my life is tough, working with TASSEL helped me realize that the poor and my students’ lives are even worse. Therefore, being a part of TASSEL allowed me not only to teach English but also to share my love and care with the people around me, especially the poor. TASSEL has provided my life with great experiences. Without TASSEL, I wouldn’t be able to study writing, speaking, video describing personally, and meet so many great foreigners in person. Additionally, I strongly believe that education is the main key to transforming lives. TASSEL has positively impacted many students and poor lives. Currently, there are forty-three Khmer teachers and many of them were once TASSEL students, including me. I am hoping to see our students growing up with good education, kindness, and the ability to extend their love and help to others, just like what TASSEL had done for them. This is both inspiring and heartwarming.


In summary, TASSEL has significantly improved my life to be a lot better, and I am so thankful for that. I'm confident that in the future, we will continue changing lives and helping more people who truly need our help. It is my honor to be a part of the missions and I am willing to do my best for the great changes of the people's lives. “TASSEL magic is putting big smiles on the hopeless people.”



Sovanchay Tra
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