Graduation Speech : An American Born Cambodian

The topic that decided to write about is something that has special ties to me. I am Cambodian/American. I chose this topic because it would give a better insight on the history of Cambodia and what relationship it has with the United States. I was curious as to how it was possible for so many Cambodians to make it overseas into the U.S. and was able to get a green card or sponsors. I really wanted to know, what was the role America had when helping Cambodia during the past?

College is supposed to be a promising time in many students' lives. There are many experiences that we go through that helps us to grow as individuals. This is also a time where we are molded into becoming responsible adults and creating careers for ourselves. Along with many positive outcomes, there are many concerns that I am currently dealing with as an HBCU student.

Six years after graduating High School, I have finally decided to pursue a college education. Three, fairly common, factors played in to my decision to go back to school: learning new things, building confidence in myself and pursuing my desired career. I understand that graduating college is a difficult task, which is why I must make a plan for my success and stick to it. I must also rely on my personal strengths and my motivation to guide me through the tough times that I am sure to experience on my road to success to get my degree in Criminal Justice. I have always been a person who is eager to learn new things.

Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle in their book “Rereading America” feel that commencing college is a very disturbing experience. So many things we have to deal while starting college, but the major challenges are expanded difficulty levels and higher expectation which we are not familiar over the years of high school. In order to solve this issue, we have to remodel ourselves by taking up the challenge and rethink about our strength and flaws. To succeed in college we need to be mentally strong and dedicated towards our goal.

Through the course Strategies for College Success Cpd 150 taught by Michelle Garland one can learn many things. Despite this course possibly being more helpful to others then it was to me it did still teach me multiple things. At the beginning of the course I had been dealing with relationship drama and figuring out how online college works, now halfway through the course the drama has subsided and I understand how online college works.I have learned that one of the most important factors of college success is determination. It is a person's ability to keep trying as hard as they can no matter what comes their way. I say this because college can be difficult and even seem pointless at times, but those who are determined enough to keep going, to keep trying, will eventually succeed. Although I am stubborn I have issues staying determined, I do generally accomplish what I need to. Another skill going along with determination is the ability to seperate the various areas of ones life. For example the ability to have a fight with your best friend then go to class and learn just fine. Now while this can be harmfull as well, since it does involve temporarily bottling your emotions, it can also

A few weeks ago, I was assigned to give a speech in my communications class about my background. After giving my speech, my professor excitedly approached me and said “wow, that was very inspirational. When I saw you, I thought you were just a privileged, pretty boy whose parents worked in the tech industry.” Believe it or not, this is not the first time I have gotten this reaction.

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

College is indirectly served to have fun, make new friends, and learn about ourselves. As an attendant at Miami-Dade College I would never forget the real reason for enrolling in this institution. Any other individual who is a current student should know that education is the knowledge of putting potential to maximum use. Throughout the semester I have been given various assignments and objectives to comprehend making it challenging. At Miami-Dade College, the professors offer a variety of ways that can ensure academic success. My academic success this semester came with being able to be self-motivated, communicate with professors, and use available resources throughout the campus.

I was never interested in my Vietnamese culture until I came to Vietnam. Looking deeper into my childhood scene, I realized how my trip to Vietnam changed me completely. Back then I was mostly into Korean culture, but coming to Vietnam made me appreciate my culture and be proud of being Vietnamese descent. I struggle in finding my own culture identity because I did not grew up with Asian people. Now that I’m at MSU I met more Asian people and can relate to them on Asian-American issues. I finally found a community I belong and a broad amount of people who share the same problem as I do. Together we raise Asian-Awareness, which was something I never had a chance to do in high

In high school my academic performance was good, but it could have been better. I didn’t utilize the resources my school provided me to their full potential. As I look back, I now realize that if I spent more time in the library and enrolled in after school tutor programs I would’ve done extremely well. If accepted into Fresno Pacific University I intend to enroll in tutor programs so I can ensure that I will pass every class. My goal throughout my years at FPU is to ensure that my GPA is 3.5 and better. The small class sizes offered at FPU will also be a huge advantage in my success throughout my school years. My decision to join the workforce right after high school benefited my bank account but my thirst for knowledge was acquitted. I am at a time in my life where I am financially stable and able to venture off to further pursue a higher education level. I believe the opportunities

College, when it works most reliably, is a complex system of designed norms and nudges that make activities such as going to class, studying, writing papers, and interacting with peers a natural, almost automatic part of each day. Students spend most of their time on or near campus, where those around them have similar goals or are supporting them in their goals. Their diversions from classwork—whether

The past year I have spent at UMBC has been vital to my academic career. I came into college with a vague idea of what I wanted in future but this past year has changed everything. As the fall semester started, I struggled but as the semester went along I made improvements. Even though my first semester was not the strongest, the skills I developed were essential to my improvement in the spring semester. The skills like preparing for lectures with the provided resources, rewriting notes and going through lectures after the class has helped me build a strong base for my academics. Early on in my academic career, I have made habit of taking advantage of office hours and tutoring sessions with peers and TA’s. At this point in college career, I

After a very short four years of high school where my college studies had also began, I find myself today attending Wenatchee Valley College. Here in Wenatchee I 'm continuing my college career to obtain my associates in arts and science degree in which will receive in the spring of 2016. Prior to choosing courses at WVC, I kept in mind the pre-med major I have planned to take up, and in result I have taken up a biology sequence; major cells, major plants, and the final series, which I plan to take in the spring, major animals. The remainder of my classes consisted course within the humanities, social sciences and the math departments. Between all the late hours I found myself staying up to study and managing a full time job, I would consider my performance a well-rounded decent one. As expectations for prominent academic achievement were imbedded in me from my family and school faculty in high school,

As a Cambodian-America, I have found that I live in a world of greys and ambiguity. I have made a home for myself on the edge of these two cultures, embracing both, but defined by neither.

After reading the novel Children of the River, I have learned some customs that people in Cambodia practice in their country. In this essay, I shall describe some examples of their traditions and contrast them with the American culture as shown in the novel and Honduran culture of which I am most familiar.