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| Manhattan College Prof. Helene Tyler, center in photo taken at Phnom Penh airport, rallied to have 18-year-old Kimsy Tor brought over to New York on a full scholarship after teaching her during a math class. |
BY Corinne Lestch
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Manhattan College Professor Helene Tyler was teaching an advanced math course in Cambodia last month when a young woman, bright beyond her years, immediately caught her eye.
All of the students in the class had at least four more years of education than Kimsy Tor, 18, one of six children from a poor family.
But "she just threw herself into it and learned like I rarely see," said Tyler.
In the weeks since Tyler returned home, the professor has been quietly rallying to have Tor enrolled in Manhattan on a full scholarship.
Thursday, the Riverdale college's admissions department told Tyler that Tor has been accepted to study mathematics this September.
"Knowing how much she loves to learn, I'm just so excited that she now has this opportunity," said a choked-up Tyler.
She immediately sent Tor an email with the good news - even though it was 2:30 a.m. in Cambodia.
"Her background and interest in pursuing the type of educational opportunity we have at Manhattan is very consistent with our mission," said William Bisset, vice president of enrollment. "She's an extraordinary student."
It wouldn't have happened had not all the celestial charts and graphs been aligned, said Tyler.
She visited the Southeast Asian nation last month to voluntarily teach at the local university in Phnom Penh.
In a strategic move, the Cambodian education minister planted Tor, a recent high school graduate, in Tyler's master's course.
"It was a well-conceived plan," Tyler said with a laugh.
During the span of the four-week course, Tyler realized Tor belonged with the older students.
Tyler noticed Tor's attentiveness right away, and said she began talking to her during class breaks. The education minister organized a trip for them to a wildlife preserve, and Tyler could tell that Tor would be able to handle the pressure of leaving her family and culture.
Tyler learned that Tor is an avid Jane Austen reader and tennis player. Her parents, though considered middle-class by Cambodian standards, are poor tailors who make traditional wedding outfits.
Since the brutal Khmer Rouge rule ended in the late 1970s, Cambodians have suffered economically and academically. About one-third of the people live below the poverty line and are illiterate.
According to the education minister, Chan Roath, there are only four resident citizens who hold doctorate degrees in mathematics.
Tyler said that although she is excited that Tor will be able to broaden her horizons, the issue of money still looms.
"Now the big task is for \[Manhattan\] to secure the necessary funds through whatever available scholarship resources there are," she said. "She'd need everything - full tuition, room and board, books, a plane ticket."
Bisset said Tor definitely qualifies for merit-based scholarships.
Tyler said the hardships people like Tor have faced make the possibility of studying here a rare opportunity.
"Investing today for the future is part of the American psyche, but it's not part of the Cambodian psyche," she said.
"So seeing it from someone over there was just unusual and a bit more inspiring."
14 comments:
Make sure that this professor is not a lesbian. When white people do good things, you have to worry about it.
Thank you Professor Tyler for your help.
there are a lot of potential kids who will do well in school when given the opportunity. thanks the professor for seeing that. who knows, eager student like kimsy tor may one day become a math professor herself if she is encouraged and give opportunity to study abroad and so forth. god bless her.
We Khmer, are thank you Dr. Tyler.Please take more of Khmer bright students to give them opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
What about Khmerican? Ma'am!
Congratulation to Kimsy for receiving an opportunity to study in America!
Thank you to professor Tyler for the interest and keen eyes on this young bright Cambodian girl and having decided to help her come to the US to study mathematics.
Thank you Mr. Chan Roath for your intelligent strategic move to place Kimsy in professor Tyler's class. You are indeed a very good and outstanding Cambodian minister of education. You deserve my sincere respect.
Anet Khmer
Interesting.... it does not matter what topic is it, there is always a negative comment. No wonder why there is no peace in the world.
This is how Cambodians should be helped, not money from China.
Thank You American(s).
*The first message guy have Prostate cancer so his always jealous with white People in Bad Mind.
*why God reborn guy like that?.
OH MY GOD
The first message did not separate between professional and private life. If there is nothing good to say, it is better to stay quiet.
i know, my beloved america is always helped cambodia to make a real, lasting difference as in long term. this way, it is more beneficial to cambodia and khmer people as we say education, knowledge, wisdom, etc is priceless. like business, the long-term investment in cambodia is better than the short-term, making quick money way, really! cambodian like me love america a lot for what america stands for, you know. and for that, i would like america to have strong influence in my country cambodia. god bless cambodia.
cambodia needs more american trained educators, professionals, etc. god bless cambodia.
The first commentator must be a gay dude whom he sleeps with the Vietcong boy. He must have HIV embedded in his body that he can't function normally. Go to hell, Ah Pleur.
Thank you, Professor Tyler who helps one of Cambodian students to success in life, but she must go back to help her fellow citizens. Don't finish school and work for Ah traitor, Hun Sen, and follow his ugly path. Whoever works for Ah traitor Hun Sen, they will be punished when the regime changed for sure. We need to lock up those CPP people and it doesn't matter those are my relatives. I don't support those who work for Hun Sen and hurt Khmer people.
Finish your dream and pursue whatever you can. Don't waste your time when the school offers you scholarship.
Mathematic is very important and it is a backbone to apply every life. Every subject or things in this world involves math.
Congratulation, Kimsy Tor, and welcome to the United States of America.
From fellow Cambodian in Washington DC.
I just want to say this much, OK. While I congratulate for the girl's first stepping stone achievement and the commendable effort and act of the American professor, I must remind people that is this similar to the story of "Duch the butcher"? Remember, when the Americans tested him, they found Duch to be very exceptionally intelligence in MATH. Duch will use his mathematical logic and organizational skills to document and kill all those who sent before him at Toul Sleng Prison. This is a legacy of a Cambodian highly mathematician. Sad isn't it! I do hope that this girl will go on in here life to learn the different branches of mathematics in America, and I do hope that she will contribute back to the mathematical knowledge of the world. However, I do wish that she will not use her mathematical brain to KILL any of the Cambodian people because it has already been proven that a mathematician can be as cruel and evil and heartless as hell itself. If that girl has that kind of mathematical mind, then she can just go to stay and help HELL itself. Humanity will not need an evil mathematician at all.
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