A FORMER SPRING OF HOPE STUDENT PAYS IT FORWARD
Min Esan is no stranger to both getting and giving chances in life. The seventh of eight children, Esan grew up in a Svay Khleang farming family. His father is also a barber, who earns about $0.35 per haircut. Four of his siblings were forced to drop out of school and work in Malaysia so they could send money home. Even though they are smart, his brothers and sisters sacrificed their own educations so that Esan and his younger brother could have a better future.
When Esan was in grade 9, he became one of Spring of Hope’s first students, joining when the school was launched in 2013. At age 18, Esan began studying at the prestigious Royal University of Phnom Penh, graduating with a major in tourism management. Today, he is on the senior account management team of one of Cambodia’s most popular food delivery companies.
““I love everything about Spring of Hope School, especially the computer program. It allowed me to explore many things I had never heard about. It also helped to do research for my studies, especially when I needed to understand grammar. The most
exciting part for me was when volunteer students came to visit us. We felt so happy to be visited and it gave me a chance to improve my speaking skills and have cultural exchanges.””
Last year, Esan received a text from a friend in Svay Khleang, telling him that she had to drop out for a year because her parents could not afford the university’s tuition. Seeing her struggle reminded Esan of his own difficulties in obtaining a scholarship. Esan told her that he would help her, but on one condition: She did not need to repay him, but when she finishes school and has some financial stability, she is to pay it forward to a person who really needs help. She readily agreed
But Esan has not stopped with just one student. He plans to have a business in the food and digital marketing industries. One day, he will open a restaurant, which will enable him to provide meals to students, teach them how to cook and how to give good customer service, and learn digital marketing, which will help them prepare for highly paid jobs in the future.