Student Wins Scholarship to Pursue Master’s Degree in Republic of Indonesia
Mut Somoeun, a Term X student in the College of Law, also a Handa 2007 Scholarship recipient, won a Developing Countries Partnership (DCP) Scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Indonesia. The scholarship from the Indonesian government provides funding to cover tuition, room and board, and travel. He leaves for Indonesia on September 15 and will spend three years studying at Indonesia University of Education - Bandung, where he will pursue a Master’s in Education Administration.
The scholarship aims to promote cultural understanding among developing countries, strengthen relationships between countries, and contribute to the quality of human resource development. In the first year of the program, students enroll in Indonesian language courses for eight months and then take four months of Master’s preparatory courses. Students then enter the degree program in the second year and complete their coursework in the third and final year. According to Somoeun, 100 students representing 20 countries were accepted into the program. To win the scholarship, Somoeun had to first compete in a scholarship exam, after which he was invited to submit an application with documentation. One hundred students competed in the exam, and 10 of the highest scoring students were selected to submit an application. Out of the 10 students who submitted an application, four Cambodian students, including Somoeun, were selected as scholarship recipients, while the fifth scholarship recipient was selected through the website. He expressed his sincere gratitude to UC and said he attributes much of his success to the opportunities he received here, first as a Handa Scholarship recipient, and secondly as a student who has greatly improved his English proficiency and comprehension as a result of UC’s policy on conducting academic courses in English. Somoeun said he wants to learn more about education through the Master’s degree program, and is particularly interested in learning more about different cultures. He is excited to meet the foreign students who will participate in this program and believes that making friends with people from different backgrounds is very important for peace-building and cultural understanding. "Making friends is the best way to live together in society," he said. In addition to his coursework at UC, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from Preah Sihanouk Raj Buddhist University (PBU) in Education Administration. When asked about what he hopes to do after he earns his Master’s degree, Somoeun said he wants to teach in the field of education at a university one day and hopes he can make a positive difference in the lives of other Cambodian youth. "Education is a way to prepare people in life. It is my obligation," he said. "I’m from a rural area, a poor family. I almost didn’t have a chance at education. I hope through my qualifications, I can help others get a chance at education." Somoeun said he really enjoyed his experiences at UC and would be honored to work here in the future, and that he also hopes to work for the Ministry of Education on curriculum development and instructional practices. Additionally, he plans to pursue a doctoral degree after he completes his Master’s degree. He has two main pieces of advice for students who are interested in studying abroad. "Study hard, and be creative in finding ways to access foreign scholarships," he said. Mut Somoeun is from Kampong Thom province and is the youngest child of three. He would like to express his sincere appreciation to his parents and siblings for supporting his academic pursuits, and is especially grateful to all of his instructors at UC and PBU for teaching him and instilling an appreciation of learning and knowledge.
