Grandmother's struggle inspires South El Monte High school senior

04/06/2009
By Rebecca Kimitch, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California, USA)

"My mom always said I have to go back and help our fellow Cambodians" - Hathiya Chea

SOUTH El MONTE - Every night at dinner, 18-year-old Hathiya Chea hears the same story from her grandma, a story echoed in dining rooms across America for decades - "eat your food, don't waste resources, you don't face the struggles others do."

For Cambodian-born Chea the story resonates - her grandmother endured the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge, which was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people, often though starvation and torture, during the 1970s.

"She reminds me what she went through - they barely had anything to eat days and nights. She keeps me humble. She tells me to know that, though we live in America now, always remember where you came from," Chea said. "It makes me who I am today."

The South El Monte High School senior is also responsible for making herself into who she is today. When her mother brought her to the United States at age nine - seeking to replace the obstacles of Cambodia with the opportunities of the United States - she didn't speak any English and struggled to make friends.

"Because of that social difficulty, I spent a lot of time in the library, studying," she said.

Her studious beginnings paid off. She just found out she was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley.

Her grandmother hasn't just inspired Chea to finish her dinner, but to become involved in her community and to get her fellow students involved as well.

At South El Monte High, she created the Future Politician Association, a non-partisan group designed to encourage civic engagement among students.

"We don't learn about government until senior year, before that we don't really learn anything about civic engagement. That is why I want to promote understanding political issues in our school... I noticed especially during the election, nobody really cared," she said.

The organization hosts local politicians and town hall forums, where experts debate current issues.

Last month, 49th district Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-El Monte, named her the district's Woman of the Year for these efforts.

She is also her school's president of the California Scholarship Federation, vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America, and was named South El Monte's Youth Commissioner.

After working locally, Chea plans to take her fight for justice national and international, particularly fighting human trafficking.

"My mom always said I have to go back and help our fellow Cambodians," she said.