Moving beyond her comfort zone: Bonnarath’s challenge to herself
Making the most out of her time in Australia has been Bonnarath’s motivation every time she is reminded of her loved ones back in Cambodia. Although it was hard to leave behind her husband, young child and her parents, Bonnarath believes that studying in Australia is a worthy investment and will bring benefit to her and her family. She is convinced making the most of her time in Australia is not only through studying at university but also participating in social events.
Since arriving in 2017, Bonnarath has adapted well to her new life in Sydney. She is determined to improve her public speaking, especially in English language. This is one of her goals in her two-year study plan in Australia. So, three weeks after her arrival, she decided to register as a member of Toastmaster’s Speaking and Debate Club at Macquarie University. As a member, she joined a learning community who develop their public speaking skills through practice. Since joining Bonnarath has participated in a speech competition, where she was voted one of the best speakers of the evening, defeating five other competitors!
As a proud Cambodian, Bonnarath volunteered to be part of the organising team for a fair-trade conference and exhibition at Macquarie University. She was surprised to see hand-made products by Cambodian communities at the conference, and was pleased that the products generated so much interest from people who attended. Bonnarath was proud to share information about Cambodia and explain the story behind the products.
In 2010, prior to her studies when she was in Cambodia, Bonnarath initiated a women’s cooperative called the Lady Saving Group which was later renamed to the Lady Social Entreprise (LSE). LSE aims at promote the economic status of Cambodian women through a social entrepreneurship development program. With that background, when applying to study in Australia, Bonnarath chose to pursue a Master of Social Entrepreneurship at Macquarie University in Sydney. Interestingly she first thought that Sydney was Australia’s capital city because it is the location of the impressive and internationally known icon of the Sydney Opera House! But soon after she arrived, she realised that she was incorrect and joined a trip to visit the Australian capital – Canberra – and was delighted to see the whole city from the top of Mount Ainslie.
After she finish her study in Australia in mid 2019, Bonnarath is looking forward to pursuing her dream to promote the economic empowerment of Cambodian women through social enterprise.
Moving beyond her comfort zone: Bonnarath’s challenge to herself
Making the most out of her time in Australia has been Bonnarath’s motivation every time she is reminded of her loved ones back in Cambodia. Although it was hard to leave behind her husband, young child and her parents, Bonnarath believes that studying in Australia is a worthy investment and will bring benefit to her and her family. She is convinced making the most of her time in Australia is not only through studying at university but also participating in social events.
Since arriving in 2017, Bonnarath has adapted well to her new life in Sydney. She is determined to improve her public speaking, especially in English language. This is one of her goals in her two-year study plan in Australia. So, three weeks after her arrival, she decided to register as a member of Toastmaster’s Speaking and Debate Club at Macquarie University. As a member, she joined a learning community who develop their public speaking skills through practice. Since joining Bonnarath has participated in a speech competition, where she was voted one of the best speakers of the evening, defeating five other competitors!
As a proud Cambodian, Bonnarath volunteered to be part of the organising team for a fair-trade conference and exhibition at Macquarie University. She was surprised to see hand-made products by Cambodian communities at the conference, and was pleased that the products generated so much interest from people who attended. Bonnarath was proud to share information about Cambodia and explain the story behind the products.
In 2010, prior to her studies when she was in Cambodia, Bonnarath initiated a women’s cooperative called the Lady Saving Group which was later renamed to the Lady Social Entreprise (LSE). LSE aims at promote the economic status of Cambodian women through a social entrepreneurship development program. With that background, when applying to study in Australia, Bonnarath chose to pursue a Master of Social Entrepreneurship at Macquarie University in Sydney. Interestingly she first thought that Sydney was Australia’s capital city because it is the location of the impressive and internationally known icon of the Sydney Opera House! But soon after she arrived, she realised that she was incorrect and joined a trip to visit the Australian capital – Canberra – and was delighted to see the whole city from the top of Mount Ainslie.
After she finish her study in Australia in mid 2019, Bonnarath is looking forward to pursuing her dream to promote the economic empowerment of Cambodian women through social enterprise.
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