Sopheara Real: Pursuing Higher Education to Address the Gender Inequality in Society
Growing up in a society where your access to opportunities is determined by your gender, Sopheara aimed high. Through pursuing higher education, she wanted to challenge gender inequality and fight for other women to have equal access to opportunities as men. Sopheara’s goal was to be a role model for other women to rise above the challenges of gender inequality and pursue their dream.
Sopheara was one step closer to her dream of becoming a Psychotherapist when she received an Australia Awards Scholarship to study Master’s degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling at Western Sydney University. Sopheara used her time in Australia to grow personally and professionally, taking every opportunity to achieve her dream.
However, Sopheara’s journey in Australia was not always rosy. In the beginning, she found it challenging to adapt to a new learning environment, high study loads and the language barrier. After adjusting to these early challenges, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lockdown periods commenced. Face to face classes were suspended, switching to online delivery.
Sopheara accepted the challenges of online learning, transforming them into opportunities for academic and professional development. She participated in several online training courses such as discussions related to suicide and webinars about mental health issues. She also participated in a business consultancy project under the ‘’LIVE project’’, working with a Melbourne based start-up company – ‘TheXword’.
Sopheara refused to give up when the pandemic brought another challenge to her, in securing a work placement to complete her degree. Sopheara, in fact, secured two placements, despite many placement agencies having closed or temporarily suspended due to COVID 19.
Sopheara undertook her first placement with the Australian War Widow organisation, as a telephone counsellor, who provided emotional support and counselling. Many members of the organisation felt lonely and isolated from other family members due to COVID 19 lock down restrictions. Sopheara’s second placement was with the Cambodia-Australian Welfare Council in NSW. She worked as a telephone counsellor to support Cambodian seniors affected by the lockdown period.
Both placements gave Sopheara insights and understanding in how to be flexible and innovative in finding different ways to reach out to the clients in a unique and ever-changing situation. The practical experience was an excellent opportunity for Sopheara to apply her counselling skills to support clients experiences very difficult circumstances.
Sopheara was grateful that she lived in a friendly and supportive environment while she was in Australia. Following her graduation in January 2021, Sopheara was ready to take on her role as a Psychotherapist, looking looking forward to opportunities to support communities in managing emotional distress, mental health issues, and improving individual, family and community well-being. She wants to focus her work on supporting the recovery of children and women who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sopheara is an impressive role model for her two daughters and other women in aiming high, accepting challenges and using education as a means to achieve greater gender equality in society. Sopheara encourages others to apply for an Australia Awards Scholarship. She thinks that Australia Awards Scholarships offer a very well prepared pre-departure program that makes you feel more confident to begin your academic studies. Sopheara argues that studying in Australia gave her the word-class education experience, and experience studying and living in a multi-cultural, friendly and safe environment.
Australia Awards
Post graduate learning opportunities for Cambodia’s future leaders
Sopheara Real: Pursuing Higher Education to Address the Gender Inequality in Society
Growing up in a society where your access to opportunities is determined by your gender, Sopheara aimed high. Through pursuing higher education, she wanted to challenge gender inequality and fight for other women to have equal access to opportunities as men. Sopheara’s goal was to be a role model for other women to rise above the challenges of gender inequality and pursue their dream.
Sopheara was one step closer to her dream of becoming a Psychotherapist when she received an Australia Awards Scholarship to study Master’s degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling at Western Sydney University. Sopheara used her time in Australia to grow personally and professionally, taking every opportunity to achieve her dream.
However, Sopheara’s journey in Australia was not always rosy. In the beginning, she found it challenging to adapt to a new learning environment, high study loads and the language barrier. After adjusting to these early challenges, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lockdown periods commenced. Face to face classes were suspended, switching to online delivery.
Sopheara accepted the challenges of online learning, transforming them into opportunities for academic and professional development. She participated in several online training courses such as discussions related to suicide and webinars about mental health issues. She also participated in a business consultancy project under the ‘’LIVE project’’, working with a Melbourne based start-up company – ‘TheXword’.
Sopheara refused to give up when the pandemic brought another challenge to her, in securing a work placement to complete her degree. Sopheara, in fact, secured two placements, despite many placement agencies having closed or temporarily suspended due to COVID 19.
Sopheara undertook her first placement with the Australian War Widow organisation, as a telephone counsellor, who provided emotional support and counselling. Many members of the organisation felt lonely and isolated from other family members due to COVID 19 lock down restrictions. Sopheara’s second placement was with the Cambodia-Australian Welfare Council in NSW. She worked as a telephone counsellor to support Cambodian seniors affected by the lockdown period.
Both placements gave Sopheara insights and understanding in how to be flexible and innovative in finding different ways to reach out to the clients in a unique and ever-changing situation. The practical experience was an excellent opportunity for Sopheara to apply her counselling skills to support clients experiences very difficult circumstances.
Sopheara was grateful that she lived in a friendly and supportive environment while she was in Australia. Following her graduation in January 2021, Sopheara was ready to take on her role as a Psychotherapist, looking looking forward to opportunities to support communities in managing emotional distress, mental health issues, and improving individual, family and community well-being. She wants to focus her work on supporting the recovery of children and women who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sopheara is an impressive role model for her two daughters and other women in aiming high, accepting challenges and using education as a means to achieve greater gender equality in society. Sopheara encourages others to apply for an Australia Awards Scholarship. She thinks that Australia Awards Scholarships offer a very well prepared pre-departure program that makes you feel more confident to begin your academic studies. Sopheara argues that studying in Australia gave her the word-class education experience, and experience studying and living in a multi-cultural, friendly and safe environment.