Importance of Education Highlighted at Cambodian Cultural Graduation Ceremony

Leakhena Nou, a sociology professor at Cal State Long Beach, spoke with KPCC radio during the Cambodian Cultural Graduation Ceremony about the historical importance of education to Cambodians. During the Cambodian Genocide, the Khmer Rouge sought to exterminate those who were educated. Professor Nou, the only tenured Cambodian faculty at the university, told KPCC, “We want to prove to the world that Cambodians are more than just victims of the Khmer Rouge.”