YONG YIN

I was born in Kiri Village, a poor rural area outside Siem Reap. My mother died from illness when my brother and I were very young, leaving my father-a subsistence farmer-drowning in debt from her medical treatment. When my father became disabled after a motorcycle accident and could no longer work, my brother and I had to live at the local pagod with monks just to have food and continue our studies.

After graduating high school, I worked as a restaurant waiter with no hope of affording university. When Global Children offered me a scholarship to study in Phnom Penh, I initially refused because my father needed me. But a few weeks later, I received the life-changing call: I had been selected. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher so I can return to help my family and village.