An Ordinary Chapter Of Myself

By Thim Rachna

Hi! My name is Rachna, and I am an eighteen year old girl born and raised in Cambodia.

I was born in Kampong Cham province, one of the central parts of the country, but my family decided to move to the capital city to pursue better life opportunities. I am currently majoring in media management at the Department of Media and Communication of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

I did not experience a lot of outside time in my childhood so I grew up as a very indoor kid due to my parents’ overprotection. I find that this is a factor that contributed to my introverted and reserved personality, and I am not very vocal about myself. Growing up, I have found myself numerous indoor hobbies to entertain myself during leisure time. I have become very passionate about reading. During my teens I read a lot of novels, which enhanced my pleasure in reading. Over the years, my taste for books kept changing, and I found myself becoming interested in many things I never thought I would be interested in.

Growing up as a very introverted kid, I was not very vocal about myself, so my opinions are not often voiced out. I prefer listening to people rather than talking. However, I do believe that quiet people have very loud minds.

Growing up in a developing country, I have seen the way the journalism has played such a vital role in delivering information and giving a voice to the voiceless people. Over the past few years, with the emergence of modern technology, I have also witnessed the changes in alternative ways of receiving information, such as the transition from traditional media to the new media, or what is otherwise known as social media. It is well recognized that media has played an enormously influential role in terms of public response to social issues. It is considered as a primary communication mechanism for its substantial influence in leading the public to focus more on those problems.

Due to the persuasive power of the media, it is also very challenging to use media to promote solutions because it might also encourage unhealthy choices or inaccurate information. Hence, upon seeing this, and in addition to my parents’ recommendation, I was inspired to enroll in a media school in order to improve my knowledge in journalism.

After spending two years at university, I have also developed a keen interest in health science. Along with journalism, I am hoping that I could pursue something in the future related to these two fields.

All in all, I am honored to be selected to be part of Voices of Youth program. I am looking forward to carrying my own voice to the world and opening up more about myself.

I like to keep this awkward introduction short because I am not good at talking about myself. But I am hoping to learn more from this mission and becoming a more vocal person.

Views expressed here are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of UNICEF.

Related posts:

I look up to the sky. “4. Look” is published by Ayyub.

I work under an assumption. I assume that every human life is unique, and each life tells a unique story. I believe that no one who came before you, or anyone who comes after you, will be able to…

For my parents and their friends, it was a big deal when they got their first credit card. A bigger deal when they had several. Going out with friends or business partners, the ultimate status symbol…