Navy

The Academy of Hope

This ficus tree provided me a place to read books throughout my childhood in my hometown of Phum Krous in Cambodia. Phum Krous is a rural area and a poor community financially. Books cost about $2 USD each. I had to save money for many months to just buy one book. I remember every time I went to tend my cow, under the shade of the tree, I always had one or two books with me to read.

When I was in middle school, I read a book about World War II. The book mentioned Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1905. It was then that I began to dream big. I dreamed that I would study at the Academy that graduated such a great leader. At that time, I did not know what to do make this happen, so I wrote myself a motivational message on a wooden beam in my humble home. It says, “On the road to success, there is no footstep of a single lazy person.” I wrote this as a reminder to never give up my dream. Every day, before I started my 16-mile bicycle ride to school, I looked up at my handwritten message and told myself, “I can do it.”

After high school, I earned a scholarship to the study at a medical school in the capital city, Phnom Penh. I had to leave my village for a city where I knew no one. Since the scholarship only paid tuition, I was homeless in this new city and would sleep outside on the ground. These challenges did not stop me. They motivated me to work even harder to change my life. I planned to succeed and hoped my success would inspire many others who faced similar challenges.

Late one night, I was very hungry and had no money at all. I looked for food in a trash can hoping to find a small piece. However, I found something that was greater than food, and it changed my life. It was a newspaper that mentioned a scholarship to the U.S. Naval Academy, published by the U.S. embassy in Cambodia. After I read the information, I knew what to do to make my dream come true.

Ten years later, my hard work and perseverance made my big dream come true. My challenges were not obstacles, but rather invaluable life experiences that brought me here to the Academy of hope. I am extremely grateful to the United States Naval Academy, the US Government and the American people who provided this opportunity and supported by journey.

Finally, please remember that I am just an ordinary young person who was born the son of a poor farmer and raised by a single grandmother who earned less than 50 cents a day. You are likely smarter, stronger, and more capable than I, but my dream has come true because I strongly believe that “On the road to success, there is no footstep of a single lazy person.” I see challenges as the opportunity to learn and grow, and I don’t “give up the ship.”

Back To Top