I was a leaf at the mercy of the wind. The wind carried me from one remote part of the world to another. It blew me through turbulence and catastrophic weather. It took me to the Khmer Rouge labor camp and lingered for an eternity. It dehydrated me and nearly starved me to death. I helplessly watched the most devilish mother of all winds ruthlessly crush my tree into lifeless pulp. Like an almighty Olympian god, when the wind wanted to toy with me, it blew me through minefields, rockets and bullets. While two million leaves disintegrated, I persevered. Through an extraordinary journey, I discovered myself. I am fortunate, and I don’t easily perish. I was a golden leaf. Against all odds, I survived, laid down roots and became a tree.
I am a member of the Rotary Club of Portland and a knighted member of the Royal Rosarians, official Goodwill Ambassadors of the City of Portland in the State of Oregon. I graduated from Reed College and completed my graduate study at Bowling Green State University. My professional resume includes Andersen Consulting, United Data Processing, Step Technology, Corillian Corporation, CheckFree and Fiserv. The list of corporations that I serviced includes Nike, Intel, Tektronix, Boeing, Boise Cascade, James River, E.B. Eddie, McMillan Bloedel, and Pope & Talbot. As an instructor, I taught computer programming language at Portland Community College and database programming at Step Technology. I served four years as president of the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon. I managed my own consulting business, Knowledge Unlimited (KU) Consulting.
Before my success, however, I struggled to survive the Khmer Rouge labor camp and became a Cambodian refugee. I struggled to learn English and assimilate the American culture.
Despite my present success, I forever remain a genocide survivor. I survived the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed two million Cambodians and nearly killed me. The Khmer Rouge starved my parents, grandmother and youngest sister to death and nearly eradicated my faith in humanity.In memory of the two million Cambodians killed by the genocide, and in honor of the survivors, I am leveraging my past to make the world a better place, one reader at a time. I sincerely invite you to laugh, cry and celebrate with me as I take you through my incredible journey from the Khmer Rouge killing fields to Portland, Oregon.
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