1. Could you tell us about yourself?
My name is Huot Thearadanith, I am in my senior year majoring in Business Administration, and I am also the President of Student Government. I strive for new experiences because I believe it will enable a person to be more competent in a competitive world. I truly enjoy experiencing new responsibilities, it keeps me driven to acquire new and more skills in order to execute bigger projects that contribute more to our communities.
Stepping out of our comfort zone is a must for any field. It is an essential component that will lead a person to success. And success doesn’t necessarily mean money or fame, the definition of success is subjective.
2. Could you tell us about the achievements you are most proud of?
I have numbers of achievements that I am extremely proud of. But my most proud achievement would be my most recent donation campaign to help the refugees and students to remain educated during a time of crisis. Within 3 days of launching the donation campaign, I’ve gathered supplies worth over $12,000 and donated through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.
Unlike other achievements which I’ve made income for myself or built something cool, being able to fill people’s stomach, fulfill their basic needs and support their educations is what makes me proud. This type of contribution is what gets me out of bed, to help the people that need help.
3. Could you tell us about one thing or experience you encountered that changed your life?
The one thing that had changed my life was being forced to drop something that defines my whole identity. As humans living in a functioning society, we should not attach our own identity to just someone or something. We should be diverse and have varieties of values, that is an accumulation of who we are.
That is why I try my best to develop other parts of my life so I can be a well-rounded person. I play a variety of different sports, study different topics, diversify social life, and learn different skills. Looking back, I was extremely uncertain about the path that I took. Now I am grateful for what I did, which had led me to do a lot of amazing things that I never thought I could.
4. Who is the person you look up to the most?
The people I look up to the most are my parents. A lot of people have famous successful figures as their role model. It used to be the case for me but one day I realized that I don’t have to look far. My dad had built something that is as impressive as anyone else out there. His work ethics, morals, and determination had set an example for me to do the same. He brought so much to the table for my family.
My mom had always been the support system for us. She helps keep everything together that my dad had brought in. Building a healthy and stable family is not easy, which I am extremely grateful for my parents for bringing stability upon the family.
5. What are the steps you took that led you to where you are right now?
The steps I took that led me to where I am was overcoming the concept of fear. It sounds fancy but during the application of “overcoming fear”, it is as little as reading books. When I started reading, I was afraid that my friends would judge me. I did it anyways and I was judged, but that didn’t stop me. I’ve overcome so many fears on the little things that enable me to take on bigger projects with extreme fear and uncertainty, therefore enabling me to achieve what I had achieved.
Fear occurs because of uncertainty. We might not know where our big decisions will lead us to and that create uncertainty, therefore fear. A lot of the time it is not as bad as we perceive. It might take time for us to adapt to the uncertainty, but we will be fine at the end of the day. Fear should be normalized as we are growing into a fully functional adult in a functioning society.
6. What are the happiest moments of your life?
The happiest moment of my life is when I take on a new responsibility, and I prove to myself that I can do it. Even if I can’t, at least it gave me another goal to chase and another skill to acquire. I don’t chase perfection but competency.
When something new falls onto my lap, I get slightly nervous but excited. When taking the risk of executing a task you’re not familiar with, we should be calculated. I like to call it “calculated risk”, for example, I had no clue on how to run a donation campaign, but I have friends and people around me that can assist along the way. I sat down and discussed with them the resources I have to see if I can execute it. Once I can see that it is possible to execute, I will put everything together while having experienced people along by my side. That is the reason why I was able to execute something that is out of my comfort zone with extreme uncertainty.
7. Is there any advice to the people that look up to you?
My advice to the people that look up to me would be “Be true to yourself about who you are, even if it is painful, but at least you know where you can improve on”. People are so quick to defend themselves when something is a threat to their value. We should accept our inability in order to improve and become a better person.
That is the starting point, we accept and acknowledge our inability toward something, then we work on it so we can become better at it. I know what I am good at and what I am not, as well as who I am and who I am not. We should not defend something that we shouldn’t, even if it is part of us. Personally, if people were to criticize my inability and it is true, I would fully accept it without any sort of denial.