Vichheka Suong
Hello! my name is Vichheka, and I was born in 1998. I graduated from university in 2021. I have two sisters: one older and one younger. I currently live with my parents and younger sister because my older sister is married and has moved away. My mom is a housewife, and my dad works as a watchman. When I was young, my dad was a motor driver who drove people to various destinations around Battambang. He worked from early morning until late at night to support our education. One night, he walked home without his motorcycle. He said it had been stolen. The robber pointed a gun at him during an argument and hit him on the head before driving away with the motorcycle. After that incident, our family’s financial situation worsened.
When I was in secondary school, my older sister and I worked in a grocery shop on weekends and school holidays to help the family. We earned $1 a day, and although it wasn’t much, we were happy to contribute. However, we stopped working when we reached 11th grade because we needed to focus on our studies, and my dad got a new job as a watchman. He was the sole earner for our family of five. Sometimes, we had only an egg or a packet of noodles to share for lunch or dinner, and we skipped breakfast to save money. Despite the challenges, I had the opportunity to study English at a pagoda 2 kilometers from my home. It was free, so my older sister and I rode our bikes there every day. When I reached 12th grade, I decided to stop studying English to focus on my final exams. Unfortunately, I failed the exam on my first attempt. I was deeply disappointed but decided to repeat the year, and I eventually passed.
After passing the exam, my family couldn’t afford to send me to university. I was about to give up and look for work in Thailand to avoid putting more financial strain on my family. Luckily, I found a government scholarship program. I applied, and the next day, I received a call informing me that I had been awarded a full scholarship for four years. I was overjoyed because this opportunity allowed me to pursue my dreams without burdening my family. Life has been challenging, but I have always dreamed of working in a place where I can help others.
In my first year, in 2017, I worked as a teaching assistant (TA) at a private school. I attended morning classes and worked in the afternoon. By late 2019, I came across TASSEL, an organization that truly matched my dream of helping others. After passing a four-stage interview, I began teaching in Samrang village in early 2020. Seeing the poor students who couldn’t afford private English classes made me realize how much TASSEL was changing lives, including mine. TASSEL has given them hope and opportunities for a better future.
Over the past five years, TASSEL has become my second home and family. It has helped me grow personally and professionally while teaching me the value of kindness and care. I’ve seen firsthand how much impact we can have on students and their families. The support from both Khmer and foreign teachers inspires students to be kind and motivated, creating a new generation of people ready to help others. TASSEL has shown me that love and education can truly transform lives.
