[image1-right]LEEP student Christina Nhek was recently named the recipient of two scholarships, the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association or APALA Scholarship and the California Library Association or CLA Scholarship for Minority Students in Memory of Edna Yelland.
Nhek, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, is currently pursuing a master’s degree and certificate in special collections at GSLIS. She plans to focus on the preservation of culture through photographs, taking a close look at the tangible artifacts that survived the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s under the Khmer regime.
“My parents called me their ‘freedom’ baby,” said Nhek. “I was born shortly after they immigrated to the U.S. after fleeing Cambodia. They suffered great atrocities during the genocide. My family was forced to work intensive labor among thousands of others in the countryside under the Khmer Rouge regime. They endured starvation and witnessed the death of family and friends. Their culture needs to be preserved, and their stories need to be told. Photographs can tell that story.”
In applications for both scholarships, Nhek discussed her commitment to promoting the importance of Khmer cultural awareness within the community and helping other Cambodians by providing good library services to enrich their personal and educational growth.
Nhek, a 2012 Spectrum Scholar, received her bachelor’s degree in art history from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). In addition to studying special collections, she also has interests in archives and public librarianship.