Rosie Ith attended the University of Portland, majoring in Economics, with a minor in Political Science. Rosie was the first SHE-CAN scholar at UP, paving the way for her little sisters. In the summer of 2022, Rosie was a Provost Initiative Awardee to conduct policy research and analysis with the Center for Migration, Gender and Justice on the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) and Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). In fall 2022, she begun her journey to pursue a Master’s degree in International Development and Policy at Stanford before returning to Cambodia to be an advocate for women and girls through development projects.
On-campus, Sopharoth is an FGEN (First Generation College Student) Programming and Event Coordinator who leads a team of 18 other student Ambassadors on events planning that serves the FGEN Community at her school. She was an Admissions Assistant at the International Student Services on campus, a participant in Habitat for Humanity, Model UN, and with her excellent academic record, she is also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. She spent the Spring semester of 2020 studying abroad in London. During the fall of 2019, Sopharoth organized and led a fall break “rural immersion” trip in Washington’s Yakima Valley. There, students got to learn about the issues facing immigrants in the region and volunteered at a food bank and a local non-profit.
After returning to the U.S in January 2021, Sopharoth purposefully engaged in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion discussion at UP and how to advocate for International Students at University of Portland. She believes that Cambodia’s development must include women’s participation, and she is determined to use her voice to increase the number of women in the workforce in order to lift Cambodia from poverty.
Highlights From Rosie’s Past Work Experience:
- Student Researcher for the Center of Migration, Gender and Justice
- Intern at Gender and Development Cambodia
- Rural Immersion Coordinator at the Moreau Center for Service and Justice
Dean’s List GPA: 3.96 Languages Spoken: English, Thai, and Khmer
