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Show IB THE GREEN SHEET Thursday, May 29, 1986 Lifestyle Cambodian Girl Graduating With Honors - Large Strides Are Taken In Span Of Few Years by Olga Milius Green Sheet Staff Writer GRANGER. From Cambodia to America -- - via Vietnam and Thailand - is the route taken by Granger high student Monica Panh, who will graduate next month with high honors in business areas. The daughter of Sary Panh and Ly Kim Bun, she came to this country when she was 12 years old and spoke no English. Cambodia was my familys place of birth, she said. It was there that Monica began school at age 5. But then came the end of the war between Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, with Cambodia under the control of the Khmer Rouge. During this period of disaster, I lost my father and a brother. From then on our family had to live on the farm and labor. No schools were open, children were forced to leave home and work as though they were adults. I had to go and live among kids my own age. I worked hard to get my share of food and tried to get permission to see my family once in a while, she said. My father, who was a commanding officer in the armed forces, lost his life. Because of his he was killed. My patriotism, brother died from sickness and hunger. He saved his share of food for the family and when he got sick, no medicine was available. In 1979 the family escaped from the Khmer Rouge. The feeling of security was not there because the ruler of Cambodia was Vietnamese. My mother, who always thought of her children first, wanted us all to have a lot of education. We decided to leave our country and families to find a country where we could be free and gain an education, said Monica. They escaped from the Vietnamese to Thailand, walking across the border. There were other families also trying to escape, she noted, and if anyone saw danger, they told the others about it. Afraid of being caught by the Vietnamese, they had to keep very quiet at all times, no fires were allowed. Food, when found, was eaten cold or raw and the family experienced great danger during the long walk and while tucked away in frequent hiding places, she explained. Finally, they reached the Thai camps, and with the help of cousins and friends, finally Midvale and West Valley City. The United States of America, though a second home to my family, to me it is the first. The first to give me great opportunities in life, to reach for the best and to appreciate life and the freedom within it. Kam-po- t, Cambodia was my place of birth and a place that gave me tragic memories and difficult experience. By contrast, I feel America is a peaceful place of opportunities. Only in America, the land of opportunity, could my life be complete. I would like to prove this and set example to the children of the next generation of how peaceful and Monica wonderful America is, stated. I love shcool. I have been so happy at Granger all these years. I enjoy reading. I have learned so very much, she added. Monica is a winner of the National Assn, of Educational Personnel scholarship through the Granite Assn, of Educational Secretaries. The Granite Assn, nominated her for the Marion T. Wood scholarship sponsored by the national association. She was selected the national winner and will receive $500 and the local Granite association also awarded her $100. This is the first time Utah has had a national winner, noted Shan-n- a Hart of the Granger high career center. in the business world. She has also had work experiences, working with children at the Copperview Community Day Care Center and at home, has performed dances for senior citizen groups, worked two summers at the Tolstoy Foundation and a summer at the Utah Small Business Development Center. She is an Honor Society officer at Granger high, is a member of the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and also helps other students by translating and interpreting. She has an older brother, a sister and a married sister who has two children. She also placed third in the Kanier Executive Womens competition, and has received a scholarship in business from the University of Utah. Because of the traditional and cultural differences, none of the girls in my family has ever pursued a career, she noted. I was always anxious to do something different, to be independent. I became acquainted with many wonderful professional business men and women and developed an interest in business. Monica enrolled in as many business classes as she could and these classes fascinated me," she said. She hopes to find a profession WE CUT PRICES . NOT QUALITY" reached America on Oct. 29, 1980. A few days later I was enrolled in school, Monica recalled. With no English background and no interpreter, school was very difficult. I was placed in a seventh grade group and had to work very hard to catch up with the class. It was several months later that she began to communicate in her new language and was able to make friends among the other students. During the summer of 1981 she took an English as a second language class and began to catch up and receive good grades. I was very happy, so school began my achievement in life. During the last five years the family has lived in Salt Lake City, . . RAILROAD TIES! 7x9 Siusw'S ftUU Jhlrlotsidine doors, sashes. OVER 50 TRUCK LOADS IN STOCK 15" Gl0SS Reg- - 18 3o I MJIBERT DECKING SALE! MimUTTCEOM Redwood Deck- 8.24 Reg- - 15 ing 2x4 Cedar LF 30 DECK SCREWS 1" W or 3" Size Ref 2 89 2 2x6 Cedar LF Select Decking vgSSt m0SSsssss. 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