Kou Kaghchna is fascinated by traditional Cambodian culture. She grew up in the village of Preah Dak, inside the Angkor Conservation Site, where she still lives now with her parents and most of her 11 siblings. She loves music, Cambodian of course, and works as a traditional Cambodian (Apsara) dancer.

Kaghchna grew up in a very poor family, her father being a fisherman and her mother picking fruits and vegetables to sell in the market. As a child, she would often help her mother with her work in order to be able to supply food for the family. Nonetheless, they sometimes did not even have enough money to buy rice.

She nonetheless was able to go to school at the age of 7 and continue her education until she graduated from high school last year, at the age of 20. However, because her family was too poor to be able to pay for the end of her high school, she had to prepare her final examination alone. Her friends would bring her documents from the school which she would study very hard on her own. That she managed to graduate in such conditions is a testimony to her motivation and dedication.

With the help of friends who lent her the $370 she needed to pay for her tuition, she enrolled at Build Bright University in 2006 to study tourism and hospitality. She is now about to complete her first year and is extremely happy she has been granted a scholarship from JWOC to be able to continue studying. She tries to help her parents pay for her living expenses by working on the market selling souvenirs to tourists and working as a traditional dancer when she is not studying.

Kaghchna is very strongly attached to the city of Siem Reap and her community. She likes it not only because she was born here, but mainly because she realizes the cultural richness of the area. She is especially fascinated by the temples of ancient Angkor. She is of course aware of the problems facing this community, essentially poverty and drugs in her opinion. But she remains optimistic, and believes strongly that things can change.

Like her parents gave her a chance to raise herself out of poverty by giving her an education, she sees education as the solution to the problem of poverty for most Cambodians. She hopes to be able to help in the future by building schools and supporting organizations such as JWOC, in order to give to all knowledge and education. For the moment, she is working for the project as a teacher, giving two hours of class each day. She teaches English for children in order to be able to improve her own English. She also teaches traditional dancing, to encourage younger generations to stay in touch with their traditions.

In the future, Kaghchna wishes to become a guide in order to share with others her passion for Cambodian culture. She also hopes to improve her English, and eventually to be able to travel abroad. She would then be able to learn from what she sees and return with new ideas that can be used to help her community.