Theary is a student at Gettysburg with a double concentration in Mathematical Economics and International & Global Studies. Theary was introduced to the world of information and curiosity at a young age due to her educator father. Given the persisting cultural limits in her rural neighborhood, she overcame numerous social challenges to become the person she is today. Theary worked diligently to be an excellent student and was able to keep first or second place in her high school class.

Theary began studying Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh before enrolling at Gettysburg College. She discovered that she is interested in enhancing the educational system in Cambodia. While the world is developing, many schools in Cambodia continue to use outdated methods of education, which restricts students’ awareness of the modern world and denies them greater possibilities. Theary is aware that the issue in Cambodia is multifaceted and not limited to the educational system alone; the economic and political climate also have a significant part in the country’s progress. She aims to apply her understanding of practical economic development, cooperative communication, social challenges, and rising global educational trends to the betterment of Cambodia upon graduation. Theary’s legacy will be a good transformation in the Cambodian educational system that will enable Cambodia’s next generation to realize their full potential.

Theary was a Digital Scholarship Summer Fellow (DSSF21) on campus for the summer of 2021. She conducted independent research and developed a website on the early resettlement experience of Cambodian refugees in the United States between 1975 and 1990, using a variety of digital resources. Theary was awarded the “Davis Project for Peace” and “Make A Change” project grants during the summer of 2022 in order to implement a project initiative in Battambang Province, Cambodia, that aims to address the digital education disparity among rural Cambodian youth by providing them with basic computer training and Khmer Rouge education using digital tools.

She is the Program Coordinator for Immersion Projects at the Center for Public Service (CPS) on campus, and she led an immersion project on the Alabama Civil Rights Movement last fall. She is also a Peer Learning Associate for the business statistics course in the economics department on campus, where she coordinates the lab and assists students with course content.

​Highlights From Theary’s Past Work Experience:

• Program Coordinator for Immersion Projects, Gettysburg Center for Public Service
• Digital Scholarship Fellow, Musselman Library at Gettysburg College
• Communication Intern, Communication and Marketing Department at Gettysburg College​