Chea Sambath: turning his vision for social inclusion and equality into reality
It has always been Sambath’s dream to further his education and fulfill his potential in life; being born in Cambodia with a physical disability meant that this dream always seemed out of his grasp. He understood that pursuing higher education could lead to a great many benefits; career development, greater respect for his family, accomplishment of skills, and ultimately, a better living standard. He set his mind to achieving this goal, though he knew his family could never afford to send him abroad to study. Persistence and determination paid off, and Sambath won an Australia Award scholarship to study a Master’s of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Australian National University. Sambath is currently living on campus in a multicultural student community in Canberra, where he is actively partaking in the rich social, community and wellness activities that are on offer as part of everyday student life. Though finding the sharp learning curve and language requirements challenging, Sambath is living his dream:
Sambath specifically focused his efforts on winning an Australia Awards Scholarship because of its prestigious reputation and because the program is actively inclusive, encouraging applicants with a disability to apply. He has found that the program has provided him support every step of the way; from the point of initial application, pre-departure training, moving to Australia and settling in – right up to his ensuing graduation. He has been surprised by the level of inclusive facilities on offer in Australia overall:
Sambath encourages potential students to never stop trying. He continuously adjusted and improved his applications – applying six times for the Australia Awards Scholarships – before finally meeting success. He recalls thinking of his regular applications as ‘Plan B’ that he hoped would come to fruition, whilst he carried on with his usual life:
Australia Awards
Post graduate learning opportunities for Cambodia’s future leaders
Chea Sambath: turning his vision for social inclusion and equality into reality
It has always been Sambath’s dream to further his education and fulfill his potential in life; being born in Cambodia with a physical disability meant that this dream always seemed out of his grasp. He understood that pursuing higher education could lead to a great many benefits; career development, greater respect for his family, accomplishment of skills, and ultimately, a better living standard. He set his mind to achieving this goal, though he knew his family could never afford to send him abroad to study. Persistence and determination paid off, and Sambath won an Australia Award scholarship to study a Master’s of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Australian National University. Sambath is currently living on campus in a multicultural student community in Canberra, where he is actively partaking in the rich social, community and wellness activities that are on offer as part of everyday student life. Though finding the sharp learning curve and language requirements challenging, Sambath is living his dream:
Sambath specifically focused his efforts on winning an Australia Awards Scholarship because of its prestigious reputation and because the program is actively inclusive, encouraging applicants with a disability to apply. He has found that the program has provided him support every step of the way; from the point of initial application, pre-departure training, moving to Australia and settling in – right up to his ensuing graduation. He has been surprised by the level of inclusive facilities on offer in Australia overall:
Sambath encourages potential students to never stop trying. He continuously adjusted and improved his applications – applying six times for the Australia Awards Scholarships – before finally meeting success. He recalls thinking of his regular applications as ‘Plan B’ that he hoped would come to fruition, whilst he carried on with his usual life:
Australia Awards Cambodia is managed by Tetra Tech International Development, on behalf of the Australian Government.
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