Asia Chhon's experience in Morocco and Thailand

My name is Asia Chhon and I am from Oakland, CA. I am on my last year at the University of Montana studying Sociology with a minor in IDS. I am a first-generation college student who comes from a two first-generation America parents. My dad is Cambodian and came to America to flee the Cambodian genocide with his family right after he was born while my mom is Chinese, born in America but her parents came here to flee the Vietnam War. Even though my parents are first generation America, I had the great opportunity to learn about my family background and culture through their parents and their stories. I am interested in International Development Studies because I believe one of the greatest things to do is to travel throughout the world to engage with different cultures and expand your mind to the rest of the world. I also have a passion for helping others and want to understand how other countries may need help from our country. I had the great opportunity to take a class on International and Development Communication which really expanded my mind on how we communicate throughout the world and how significant it is to understand how the world communicates through different outlets. I learned the significance of media and the internet and how it impacts countries across the world in the way we communicate and understand each other. With my cultural background, I believe I have a better understanding of how things may be different than USAmerica and how to accept the fact that we live in such a diverse world that should expand ideas globally. My career goal is to become a criminal defense lawyer or an immigration lawyer and I believe that my IDS minor will be able to help me expand my mind globally and better understand how society works with a bigger mindset. I will be able to use these skills to better understand individuals and diverse ideas that I can accept because I understand difference and diversity. Since I signed up for IDS, I had the opportunity to volunteer abroad in Thailand to tutor children in English and teach myself more about Thai culture. I also volunteered in Morocco to tutor children in English and help a remote village in the Atlas Mountains work on a community garden and a women's learning center.