Civil Engineering

Seang Rong is 23 years old and comes from a deeply impoverished rural community in Cambodia. He is the eldest child in his family and has two younger sisters. His father works as a village chief, while his mother is a housewife. The family does not own any rice farmland, so they rely entirely on the father’s government salary, which was approximately US$100 per month in 2021. Occasionally, his father also receives small contributions from generous people in appreciation of his community service activities. Despite their financial difficulties, Seang’s parents strongly value education and have ensured that all of their children attend school. The family invested much of their limited income in Seang’s education, including extra classes and school materials. Through hard work and determination, Seang successfully completed high school and earned a Grade A on the national high school examination. Before taking the national exam, Seang applied for a scholarship from the Cambodian Education and Development Organization (CEDO). After completing the recruitment and selection process, he was awarded a full scholarship to study Civil Engineering at Build Bright University in December 2021. One of Seang’s most impressive qualities is his English ability. For students from rural areas, access to quality English education is often very limited, yet Seang developed his language skills independently through free online resources and YouTube lessons. His dedication to self-learning reflects his strong motivation and perseverance. Seang is known as a motivated, patient, and helpful young man. He quickly became a positive team player within the project community. In April 2026, Seang graduated from his five-year Civil Engineering program. From his first through fourth year at university, he consistently ranked among the top five students in his class. This achievement brought him great pride and reflected his strong commitment to academic excellence. Studying Civil Engineering has been both challenging and rewarding. The program demands a high level of discipline and focus, and because there are limited opportunities for part-time jobs or internships in the field, managing finances has been difficult. Nevertheless, Seang continued to pursue his studies with determination. He gained valuable practical experience through an internship with SNT Company in Siem Reap, where he worked in several roles, including structural engineer trainee, draftsman, and site engineer. These experiences allowed him to develop practical skills that complemented his academic studies. After completing the internship, he was honored to continue working with the company as a freelance staff member. During this time, he further developed his technical skills, particularly in preparing Bills of Quantities (BOQ), an area in which he continues to train and improve. Outside of university and work, Seang has continued taking online courses to strengthen both his technical abilities and his general knowledge. He strongly believes in lifelong learning and consistently seeks opportunities for personal and professional growth. During his third year at university, Seang also had the opportunity to train with SFS Cambodia, where he worked alongside American students and members of the local community. This experience greatly improved his English communication skills and became an important milestone in his personal development. Although Seang still depends on support from others and has not yet achieved full financial independence—largely due to the difficult economic conditions in Cambodia—he remains optimistic and committed to building his future. He understands that finding stable employment as a civil engineer can be challenging, but he believes that persistence and hard work will eventually lead to success. At present, Seang’s family is facing serious health challenges. His mother has ongoing health problems, and his father suffers from hypertension and has recently been hospitalized due to complications, including severe nosebleeds. As a result, Seang spends much of his time caring for his father in the hospital while also taking on freelance work as a draftsman and structural engineer whenever possible. Once his father recovers, Seang plans to apply for a full-time engineering position with a well-established construction company. In addition, he is inspired to continue pursuing higher education abroad in the future, hoping to further expand his knowledge and opportunities.