School of International Studies

Anh Quynh Hua

Anh Hua graduated Cum laude from Pacific in 2007 with a degree in International & Regional Studies and minors in Management and Chinese Studies. She studied abroad in Hanoi, Vietnam. She currently works for VOICE which is an NGO based in Cambodia that focuses on Vietnamese women who are sold into the sex industry usually by their families. Recently, she sent us this update on how she is using her SIS education.

 Dear Dean Ensign,

It's great to hear from you! I hope this email finds you really well.

I apologize for the late reply.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the question you asked me.  In retrospect, I realized that I probably wouldn't be here if I didn't pursue my degree with SIS at Pacific.  I've always wanted to work for a non-profit abroad. However, before entering Pacific, I was very skeptical and afraid of pursuing such career goal. It was my education at Pacific that instilled in me the confidence to work toward that goal.

The cross-cultural training courses definitely prepared me very well for my two study abroad sojourns. The experiences that I gained from those two study abroad trips in turn helped me to coup with working oversea. Specifically, understanding cultural sensitivity has enabled me to accomplish many daunting tasks, especially when dealing with the local government officials. I always have to remind myself that they are from a different culture, so don't expect them to work or think the way I do. This understanding also  relieves me from a lot of unnecessary stress and frustration in regards to dealing with the local people.

More significantly, SIS taught me the meaning of Gandhi's saying, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." And, it was from your sustainable development research class that I learned the importance of  "teaching a man how to fish instead of giving him a fish."  VOICE has given me every opportunity to be the change I want to see in this world.  The work is quite challenging at times, but understanding the importance of women's empowerment and sustainable development has pushed every limit of mine to help me continue my effort in providing opportunities for the young women and children we work with.

Thank you for giving me the education at Pacific and for helping me fulfill my passion.

I am attaching here the link of the video about VOICE Cambodia, and also the links to the jewelry made by the young women in our program:

Once again, thank you for the email. I apologize again for such late reply.

Warmest regards,
Anh