At Little Hearts, we want our kids to be active, curious, and learning, even when they’re on a school break. For our university students, breaks are not only a time to rest, but also a chance to have new experiences, learn new skills, meet different people, and understand life outside the classroom.
This year, our university students had school breaks of different lengths; some had only one month, others had two. Regardless of the length of their break, they all found ways to make their time meaningful.
Olivia, Micky, and Ben only had one month off, so it was difficult for them to find internship opportunities. Olivia, however, was fortunate to find work at Maya Garden, a peaceful nature retreat and community garden located near Little Hearts in the Arey Ksat area. She identified and contacted the shop on her own, under the guidance of her LH English teacher, Teacher Panha.
During her time at Maya Garden, Olivia helped out with many different tasks. Her daily routine usually started with cleaning and organizing the shop, displaying the products properly, and making sure everything was ready for customers. She also helped manage the shop’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, where she communicated with customers and promoted the products online. In the shop, she welcomed customers and helped them choose products according to their needs. She also assisted with packaging, preparing orders, and arranging deliveries.
The experience was very meaningful and valuable: “I learned many new things, especially about customer service, communication, sales, and how to work responsibly in a real working environment. At first, I was nervous because I had to communicate with different customers and handle different tasks, but soon I became more confident and comfortable. I really enjoyed learning about the products and how the designs are created. I also learned that working is not only about selling products, but also about understanding customers, listening to their needs, and making them feel welcome. And I am truly grateful to Little Hearts. Thanks to years of studying and learning English here, communicating with our customers—especially foreign guests—is easy for me. I can really apply everything I learned from my English classes here.”
Micky and Ben were not able to find internships during their short break, but they kept themselves busy at Little Hearts. From Monday to Friday, they helped teach the community kids in our Community English Program. They also helped Martini, our maintenance and gardening expert, with different tasks around Little Hearts.
On September 1st, Olivia, Micky, and Ben returned to their university studies. Olivia is now in her third year of Tourism, Micky is in her second year of English, and Ben is in his second year of Finance and Banking. All three are studying at the University of Management.
Michael had a longer break of two months and was able to find a part-time job close to home. He worked at a small restaurant, helping with food prep, assisting customers, and keeping the restaurant clean. His work was not directly related to his course in Graphic Design. However, with the limited design experience he currently has, finding an internship specifically in that field was difficult. Through this experience, he learned about responsibility, time management, working with others, and adapting to different people.
“Now I understand how important it is to be responsible with my own time. I learned how to wake up on my own and be at work on time at 6 in the morning, and work until 5 in the afternoon. What I enjoyed the most about my part-time job was meeting customers, hearing their stories, and knowing how to adapt to different personalities. Even though this job was not related to the course I’m taking now, I’m still thankful for the opportunity to learn lessons about life.”
Michael has now returned to his studies, with his new school year beginning on October 1st. He is in his third year of Graphic Design at the Royal University of Fine Arts.
Dara, who is pursuing a vocational course in Electrical Engineering and Mechanics at Don Bosco, also had a two-month school break. Every morning, he helped Martini with maintenance and gardening, while in the afternoon he joined the English classes with the other kids.
Because his studies are related to engineering, Dara was able to put some of what he learned at school into practice. He helped with daily maintenance, checked the light bulbs around the building, worked with the water supply and pipes, helped fix things that were broken, assisted with the vegetable garden, and took on many other tasks around Little Hearts.
Martini was very happy to have Dara’s help: “He’s a big help for me. He’s doing a great job. As long as I explain to him what he needs to do for the day, he can work on it and finish the task without difficulty. He needs only minimal supervision.”
For Dara, being back at Little Hearts was also special: “I’m happy to spend time with my family again, doing fun activities with them again and just being with them, sharing my experiences from when I’m at Don Bosco. Helping Martini is also refreshing for me because I’m happy to be able to share and apply what I’ve learned at my institute.”
Dara has now returned to Don Bosco as his new school year begins on October 5th. He is in his second year.
Meanwhile, three of our other university students—Dalin, Daleine, and Malee—were fortunate to receive internship opportunities at Quantum Endorphine Digital Co. Ltd., with the kind support of Ms. Rov Camato, the company’s Business Director. Their internships started on September 1st.
Dalin has been assisting QED’s creative team with graphic design-related tasks. He also helps organize and improve the company’s creative and production asset archives and supports other creative tasks under supervision.
Malee has been supporting multimedia and video production activities. She has been learning about production setups, including lights, microphones, cameras, and other equipment, while also shadowing the production and editing team to gain practical experience in post-production. She also assists with media monitoring and organizing media assets when needed.
Daleine has been primarily supporting the day-to-day media monitoring activities. She helps collect, organize, and record media coverage, while also assisting with basic administrative and reporting tasks related to media monitoring.
Dalin, who is studying Graphic Design at the Royal University of Fine Arts, had only a one-month break, so his internship ended when he returned to school on October 1st. Daleine and Malee, however, have longer breaks and are continuing their internships until the end of their contract on November 15th.
For Dalin, the opportunity was a chance to experience something very close to what he’s studying: “I’m very happy and thankful for this opportunity because I’m working with something that’s related to my course. I learned a lot of things that I didn’t learn at school. What I enjoy the most is editing and making posters. When I was doing it at school, it seemed very difficult and limited, but during my internship, I learned many things and different ways to edit. It is really cool and enjoyable. I hope I can have this opportunity again next year.”
At Little Hearts, we want our kids to explore, learn, and expand their vision. We want them to improve not only their knowledge and professional skills, but also their ability to adapt to different situations, take responsibility, work with others, communicate with different people, and understand the world around them.
Sometimes, learning happens in a classroom. Sometimes, it happens behind a shop counter, in a restaurant, in a garden, at a digital company, while fixing something around the house, teaching younger children, or simply talking with someone new. These experiences may seem small, but they can become important lessons for the future.
Now that most of our university students have returned to their studies, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Biplan Global Co. Ltd., especially Mr. Kirill Bratchenko, for their financial contribution towards university tuition for these students. Their continuing support is what makes these opportunities possible. We are truly grateful for your help and for believing in our kids’ education and future.
We would also like to thank everyone who opened their doors and gave our students the chance to gain real-life work experience—Maya Garden and Quantum Endorphine Digital Co. Ltd., especially Ms. Rov Camato. Your willingness to guide, teach, and give our kids a place to learn means so much to all of us at Little Hearts.
We are proud to see our kids growing, trying new things, taking responsibility, and discovering what they’re capable of.