It was the close of one chapter but the opening of another one for Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) students graduating from high school in the Class of 2025.
For Rita, 17, this new chapter means moving overseas after winning a life-changing scholarship to study at Trinity College, part of the University of Melbourne, Australia’s number one university, in a partnership that began in 2017.
Rita scored a top A Grade in the National Exam and hopes to pursue a STEM degree at the University of Melbourne to realise her ambition of becoming a software engineer.
“I am very proud of myself today and excited about my future. I am grateful for the huge opportunity to study at Trinity,” said Rita.
Rita discovered a love for IT and coding in Grade 10 after forming a CCF team to compete in Technovation Girls, a global tech and entrepreneurship program, and creating an app for volunteers.
“My parents are 100% supportive of me studying technology. When I told them that I would do an IT major, they were fine, as they know it is my dream,” she says.
More than 80 CCF high school students were honoured in a graduation ceremony on 22 November at the Neeson Cripps Academy (NCA) in Steung Meanchey, Phnom Penh, watched by CCF staff and proud parents.
CCF students achieved a 98% pass rate in the Grade 12 National Exam, which gives entry to higher or further education, compared to a national average of 84.5%.
For the second year in a row, CCF’s Tomorrow Academy students achieved a 100% success rate in the exam.
Whether it’s university, college, or starting work, they’ve all risen above poverty and challenging backgrounds to succeed.
It’s just a massive sense of pride for what you’ve achieved, each and every one of you
Scott Neeson, CCF Founder and Executive Director, said it was a bittersweet moment watching the Grade 12s leave to start their own journeys.
“Every year we have these awards, I feel a sense of loss because you’ve been with us so long, we’ve grown together, developed as we’ve gone through the years. So there’s a sense of loss at you leaving the CCF program, but overall, it’s just a massive sense of pride for what you’ve achieved, each and every one of you,” he said.
“I met most of you back in 2014 or 2013, some in 2008 or 2007, and it’s been remarkable to see the journey you’ve been on since then.”
I would like to express my gratitude to CCF and Scott for giving me an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to become successful, as I am here today.
Student Sokleap Heng, who has been offered a place to study Business Management at the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) in Phnom Penh on a government scholarship, spoke at the awards ceremony.
“I would like to express my gratitude to CCF and Scott for giving me an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to become successful, as I am here today. There are no words to describe how excited I am for what comes next,” he told the audience.
Among this year’s graduates were some of the first cohort of CCF students to win scholarships to the prestigious International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP).
I have worked to improve myself to be a better person for my community and society
Fellow high school graduate Sreynith, one of the successful Tomorrow Academy students, said she considered the teachers and education staff at CCF as “like a second family to me.”
“I have worked to improve myself to be a better person for my community and society,” said Sreynith, who will study Marketing at the National University of Management.
This echoed Scott Neeson's words, who said that the ethos of CCF went beyond education by instilling students with a sense of compassion and empathy to help others in need, as they had been.
“That’s a requirement to make the whole CCF dream come true,” he told the graduates.
“It’s a ripple effect that you can provide by going into your own communities and society, to ensure that those less fortunate can be helped in some way by you, whether it’s neighbours, whether it’s grandparents, or a stranger on the street. That is the spirit of CCF.”
