Sievlan is one of our very bright and successful Alumni who graduated from the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP) with a degree in Global Affairs.
Sievlan grew up in Siem Reap and moved to Phnom Penh to further her higher education at AUPP. Upon her graduation, she received a fully funded scholarship from Knight-Hennessy scholarship program to continue her master’s studies in the United States. Currently, she is a first-year student pursuing the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy at Stanford University.
According to Sievlan, AUPP helped her to prepare for Stanford by providing her opportunities to learn, lead and grow. She continues that at AUPP, students were pushed to think critically and held up to high standards. AUPP’s investment on students’ learning opportunities outside the classroom, such as volunteering programs and student-led activities, made a significant impact on her.
As an alumnus, she would like to congratulate all students who made it to university and chose AUPP. She also shares some helpful advice to current AUPP’s students:
1. Be proactive in your learning.
If you feel like you are falling behind, do not understand something, or just feel stressed and overwhelmed, seek help. Talk to your professors or friends about it. Remember that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength, self-care, and proactiveness. Professors love proactive students.
2. Never forget that you have a voice and that your voice matters.
It is hard to not question the validity of your own opinion when you are sitting among a group of intelligent people. Always remember that everyone’s opinion and voice matters, and that include yours too!
3. Build good relationship with your professor.
Visit your professors during their office hours and ask them any questions you have. The one-on-one meeting will allow your professors to get to know you better so that they can write you good recommendation letters for grad school, internships, and job applications.
4. Find a good balance between class and extracurricular activities.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by the expectation that we have to maintain good academic standing. Get some volunteer and internship experiences, as well. These will give you breaks from your studies and be valuable learning experiences, too!