NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS II

This is the second edition of the popular Young Leaders Series. This series aims to inspire, motivate and tell a more positive story of Cambodia through the next generation of leaders. Too often we only hear about the problems plaguing Cambodia. This special series is dedicated to recognizing the intelligence, talent, creativity, innovation, and promise of Cambodia’s future. Each week in February, through a series of interviews, I will profile a young leader, all under the age of 35, who is contributing to Cambodia’s development in various fields. 

In this second series you will meet the men and women who are changing Cambodia in civil society, education, fashion, art, and more. They are making their own unique contribution to Cambodian society now and in the future. These leaders are the ambitious Mr. and Mrs. 30s who are taking the helm of leadership in civil society and government. The young leader is the 25-year-old attending the world's most prestigious university that claims Michael Bloomberg and Sheryl Sandberg as alumni, but who once worked as a janitor to pay for school. She is the beautiful young woman walking the catwalk on the international runaways, determined to put Cambodia on the fashion map. He is the award-winning artist pushing the boundaries of art through thought provoking photography. There many young leaders in Cambodia today. This is only a small sample, together they are all making a difference in their own way, all contributing to a brighter future for Cambodia. 

This is the story I want to tell. That despite our challenges, our dark corners, we have many beacons of light. For those outside of Cambodia, I would like to let you know that, through the remarkable promise of these exceptional young leaders, and many others who are positively contributing to our country, WE are on the cusp of something special, a revival of a golden age in a country once shattered by war. For those inside Cambodia, the young generation who is struggling, wanting success but not knowing how to attain it, seek role models and inspiration through these stories. Learn from them. See yourself in their eyes, because at one point, they were struggling just like you.

I hope you will enjoy reading these stories and will be inspired by them.