Those few Cambodian Americans like myself who have been able to achieve at least a modicum of success assume a huge burden in the process. In addition to the responsibilities we have to our families and ourselves, our cultural heritage requires that we also assume the roles of mentors and community educators to young Cambodian Americans and their families. As a result, not only do we find ourselves facing great obstacles in order to achieve success, once we achieve that success, we Cambodian Americans still feel that we must prove our worth daily. It encourages both middle school and college students to build relationships with professionals in the community. It allows both groups of students to engage in service-learning activities that provide them with more information about the careers that they want to pursue.
College students benefit when they learn and teach at the same time.
For example, when I started collaborating with Peyton, many of his criminal justice students knew very little about the court system. Conclusion Despite the open access policy of many community colleges, getting into college is still not easy for many Cambodian Americans. Fortunately, Lowell and other communities have activists who strive to promote equal access and opportunity. Service-learning increases opportunities for young members of immigrant communities by placing them in direct contact with college students and community professionals who are able to expose young students to the possibilities that lie before them. We have agreed that if we are to undertake this effort at all, it must be done on a long-term basis.