In a few weeks, three more of our wards – Michael, Elizabeth and Olivia – will begin their tertiary education. We are proud to announce that all three have been accepted by their chosen universities and faculties. They will matriculate in mid-December and study for four years towards their respective bachelor’s degrees. Little Hearts will continue to house, feed and support them throughout their university studies – an important part of our commitment to fully educate our kids and ready them for the workforce.
For Michael, the choice of university was relatively straightforward. His lifelong love has been art, especially painting. When he first joined Little Hearts, he was thrilled to find out that extracurricular art classes were on offer every weekend, and since then he has taken every opportunity to improve his artistic skills. Along the way, he has received plenty of praise for his artistic endeavours and encouragement from his art instructors, Tony, and the teaching staff here at Little Hearts. Therefore, his target was clear: the Royal University of Fine Arts. All that was left to decide was his specific course of study. After discussions with Tony, and with an eye to the job market, he chose graphic design, which combines his love for the visual arts with his interest in computing. Michael hopes that as the Cambodian economy develops and become increasingly knowledge-driven, the graphic design profession will be in high demand.
Elizabeth will be attending the National University of Management in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in tourism. Since childhood, she was fascinated by other cultures, especially foreign languages. She enjoyed hearing the stories told by the volunteers who came from abroad to work at Little Hearts, and to listen to them speaking in their native tongues. She also started to watch films and television series from other countries (her favourites are Thai and Japanese shows), and she would often entertain her siblings by mimicking the speech patterns and replicating the habits and cultural customs she saw on screen.
Elizabeth hopes to use her degree to work as a tour guide in Cambodia and, one day, abroad as well. Along the way she intends to put much work into learning other foreign languages – properly this time, not just by copycatting movie stars! With proficiency in languages, she may eventually opt for other career paths, such as becoming a flight attendant or working in hospitality.
Olivia will join Elizabeth at the National University of Management in the same degree course in tourism. She, too, was driven to this choice by a keen interest in language. “I knew absolutely no English when I first arrived at Little Hearts,” she explains. “But as the years went by and I gradually learned it, I realized how crucial it is to be bilingual or, better yet, multilingual. That was the beginning of my intense curiosity and desire to learn other languages. I always asked our foreign visitors to teach me a few words in their language, and I also listen carefully when my dad Tony speaks his native tongue (Flemish). I am thrilled whenever I’m able to welcome guests in their own languages! So I knew all along that I would major in tourism one day.” Besides having a passion for learning new languages, Olivia dreams to travel abroad and experience other cultures, and this, too, inspired her to enrol in the tourism course.
Here’s wishing Michael, Elizabeth and Olivia a great first year of university study and a bright future!