Hi! My name is Piseth David. I was born in Battambang province. I have moved from place to place between Pailin, Banteay Mean Chey, and Battambang but I spent most of my childhood growing up in a small rural area in Battambang. I used to live with my family on a small hill in Pailin called Phnom Yat; but when I reached Grade 5, I had to move to Battambang alone via a bus to live with my late grandmother who looked after me and shaped me to be the person I am today. I continued my education, and I graduated high school in Battambang; However, I moved to Siem Reap, away from home to pursue my further education at a university.
Just when I thought things were going well, tragedy struck. Right before I enrolled in university, my father passed away due to a brain hemorrhage. It had left a massive toll on my mental health. I started university studying programming and things were going alright until once again, tragedy struck. Covid19 became widespread and schools were shut down. I had to move back to Battambang. I had to study online but internet connection is terrible at my hometown so attending class is a major hassle as I couldn’t catch up with the lessons. In addition to that, my family also couldn’t afford a practical laptop for me to perform my coding. As a result, my grade plummeted to the bottom. Unable to bear this any longer, I decided to change my major to Teaching English to Speaker of Other Language, or TESOL for short. Even so, I still lack the money to pay tuition which means I wasn’t allowed to graduate. These issues combined had led me into deep depression.
Finding a job was difficult at first due to my lack of experience. But then, I discovered REACH Siem reap. Growing up, I have seen many children who dropped out or didn’t have a chance to get an education due to their families’ status. It pains me to know that plenty of children didn’t get the opportunity to receive education. So, when I heard that REACH was providing free education and support to families who are in poverty, I was eager to join. I know what it is like to have nothing, so I want to help make a change by sharing what I’ve learned to those in need. Teaching the children has filled me with such joy. Seeing their smile everyday was enough motivation for me to keep working hard. My passion was sharing/teaching but my love for technology and computers still resonates with me. I changed from an English teacher to a Content and Media officer. I want to share more about REACH and to help grow the organization because I am forever grateful to what they have done and given to me.
Having found a wonderful workplace, co-workers, friends, and loved ones, I was able to recover from my depression and get back on my feet. I am determined to work hard to give back to the community.
No Mountain is too high for me to climb.
