Mory is a PEPY Empowering Youth Scholarship student from the fourth intake. She is currently in her first year of attending English classes at PUC in Siem Reap and a range of lessons at the PEPY Learning Center. Mory comes from Kralanh district, like all of the PEPY Empowering Youth scholarship students, and is hoping to spend the next few years here studying Hospitality so she can secure a sustainable and safe future for herself.
When she was studying at high school, Mory felt unsure about her chances of success. She was nervous of the prospect of the grade 12 examination, and she had little confidence in herself and her abilities. She found it difficult to speak to new people, particularly in English and she also was aware that her family may not be able to pay for the university fees in Siem Reap. These are challenges that many PEPY Empowering Youth students say they have faced at one time or another, but which they will hopefully overcome over the duration of their time at PEPY and beyond.
Mory attended Dream Class at Kralanh High School, the purpose of which is to help students identify their dreams, set goals and open them up to opportunities which they previously may not have known about. Mory attended the class regularly; this was also where she heard about PEPY Empowering Youth and the scholarship opportunity. She went through a three stage application process– filling in an application form, an interview and a home visit – before finding out that she had been awarded a scholarship. After receiving the good news, Mory studied a lot about PEPY as a means to prepare herself for the years ahead.
Mory now lives in Siem Reap town with her fellow Scholarship students, where she’s coming to the end of her first year here. She has spent this year studying English at PUC and attending the PEPY Learning Center on a daily basis. Here, she and the other students receive additional English classes, as well as ICT lessons and Youth Empowerment classes. Next year Mory hopes to begin her studies in Hospitality at the Paul DeBrule School of Hospitality and Tourism in Siem Reap, with a view to working in the sector in the future.
Although she has only been a scholarship student with PEPY for less than a year, Mory already feels that she has changed and grown. She now has much more confidence in herself than she used to and she is happy to speak English to the PEPY English teachers and any visitors to the Learning Center. What’s more, she feels confident to speak to new people, whoever they are, which will be an invaluable asset to a career in hospitality. PEPY Empowering Youth is excited to see how Mory will continue to develop and we’re sure that she has a successful future ahead of her.