“One of the things I hope to achieve for myself while at Khmerican is to be more informed and active in the current happenings of the Cambodian American community,” says Darlene Ly, a grad student at Cal State Long Beach and seasoned participant in several local organizations. “Simultaneously, I hope that the Cambodian American community will utilize Khmerican as a great resource to stay connected and work collaboratively towards a common cause, such as developing better learning communities for the youth.”

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If an archetypal success story of a Cambodian American was to finish higher education from a top university, work for giant multinational companies in leadership positions - all against a backdrop of unprecedented hardships as a first generation immigrant - then Rada Nong’s is that story.

Born into Cambodia’s dark epoch of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), Nong experienced the full measure of sufferings meted out to him, as to all Cambodians subsisting under its brutal and genocidal reign lasting 3 years 8 months and 21 days.

Escaping genocide, Nong and family finally was given a chance to begin life anew in the United States, after spending several years in the Khao-I-Dang war refugee camp in Thailand.

“We came to the United States in 1983, residing first in Minnesota” said Nong, recalling his early days as a child of refugee parents. “Unlike what Cambodian Americans now enjoy in their communities, back then there were no such things as Khmer associations or organizations to help us navigate life in America. We couldn’t speak English; my parents only knew French.”

While adjusting to life in a new country, learning a new language and adapting to a culture so foreign and far removed from his native homeland was difficult, Nong succeeded in achieving a degree in International Trade and Development from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Immediately after graduation he was recruited to work for several global brands – e.g. Intel and Activision, quickly ascending to leadership roles.

Nong’s lifelong interest in helping Cambodians thrive and become competitive globally compelled him to volunteer his time and energy mentoring young kids in his community, keeping them away from gang life and putting them on the right course to better, more productive lives while they were still young.

For those who fell through the cracks, he fought to help them through his activism work in stopping deportation.

Khmerican fittingly has become another avenue through which he can further this vision, to unite and build a better Khmer America. “The perfect time is now. Our community has matured and we can unite, with Khmerican acting as our bridge,” said Nong.

Between work and his family, Nong keeps a blog where he writes commentaries on social issues and contemporary events. He is currently based in Central Valley, California.

VPL

In 1996 at the age of 13, Vesna Loek left the durian plantations of Kampot, Cambodia to reunite with his biological family in the United States. Settled in Long Beach, California, otherwise known as the Mecca of Khmer America, Loek’s childhood upbringing made the transition easier than most immigrants - both culturally and socially. But despite the smooth acclimation, Loek began to encounter resistance early on throughout his activism years.

At California State University in Fullerton, California, Loek’s cultural awareness created mixed feelings between his peers. For starters, his vast knowledge in Cambodian history and culture became intimidating to a predominant population of American raised classmates who had very little exposure while growing up. But the situation posed a unique challenge. In late 2005, Loek successfully managed to mobilize like-minded friends to re-establish the Cambodian Student Association (CSA).

Prior to CSA’s reactivation in early 2005, Loek and colleagues had a taste of criticism from his involvement in the First Annual Khmer New Year Parade. The college students drafted a compromise letter addressed to City Council to mediate the rising tensions between factions members of the Cambodian community.

But an uproar engulfed the community as elders accused the students of being pro-Cambodian People Party (CPP) or pro-Khmer Rouge. Recalling the incident, Loek expressed his disappointment in the community’s reaction.

“I plunged into the scene prematurely and was overly naive for it to end up any other way,” said Loek. Yet Loek is proud to have gone through the experience. Loek adds, “No regrets, though. It was through this experience that I realized how deeply conflicted and politically polarized the Cambodian community in Long Beach was at the time. I could not have had a better learning curve.”

It eventually received approval after a series of negotiations.

Despite these bruised battles, Loek is optimistic about his community and remains hopeful. “I feel Khmer Americans are in dire need of role models, and that goes for Khmers all over the world. It is one of the central issues that Khmer Americans of later generations, beginning with ours, have to address,” said Loek.

“The gap has narrowed considerably due to strengthening of cross cultural exchanges domestically and abroad … [via] entrepreneurs, students, scholars, travelers.” Working with Khmerican, Loek hopes that these linkages create positive impact within Khmer America and throughout the global Khmer diaspora.

Vesna joins Khmerican as a English and Khmer reporter covering Long Beach and vicinity.

VP