By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Six Fort Hays State University students traveled more than 8,600 miles to participate in person in their graduation ceremony Friday in Hays.
Those virtual students are part of a partnership program with the American University of Phnom Penh in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The partnership was launched in 2016 after the founder of the college visited one of FHSU partnership campuses in China.
These students, who have earned their degrees in tourism and hospitality management, are the first students in the program to travel in person to Hays to participate in a graduation ceremony.
All of the students now have dual degrees both from FHSU and their partner university in Cambodia.
"I think it is beneficial to have an American degree. It opens up a door for us to work (in the U.S.) anytime we want," said Woody Rath, graduate. "That is something we highly value.
"It's not just the degree. I think the curriculum is very attractive compared to our typical Cambodian curriculum."
Rath already has a job as a communications officer at a hotel in Cambodia, but he is interested in eventually transferring within that hotel chain to one of the company's properties in the U.S.
Saknitta Sin, graduate, said American degrees are internationally recognized.
"We can study anywhere and can also use that to apply for a job anywhere," she said.
Sirina Rith, graduate, has already applied for and been accepted to graduate school at the University of Technology, Sidney. She starts classes in February. That program is a combination of virtual and in-person classes.
She is interested in event planning and hopes to bring her knowledge back to Cambodia to plan large-scale events in her home country.
Solk Tylzour's parents own a hotel in Cambodia, and he will be joining the family business now that he has finished his degree. Tylzour said he thinks his American degree will help him stand out in the industry.
The students have all worked in internship programs. Sin just finished a six-month internship working in the food and beverage sector in Cambodia. She learned aspects of French cuisine, cocktails and coffee service.
During her internship, she served ambassadors from across the globe who were visiting Cambodia for a recent Asian summit. Although she did not meet President Biden, she was able to steal some glances of him and serve members of the U.S. delegation.
Sin, who was honored with the FHSU Outstanding Student Award, said she is interested in traveling and working internationally. However, she said she would like to eventually return to Cambodia and use her skills to improve the hospitality industry in her own country.
She said she hopes to change the tourism industry so travelers can have more positive impacts on the locations they visit.
Being a virtual student had its challenges. There is a 13-hour time difference between Cambodia and the U.S., but the students had to deal with class schedules and assignment deadlines on U.S. time.
Rath said both staff at FHSU and the American University of Phnom Penh helped the students in many aspects of their studies.
"I think there was a lot of collaboration that enhanced our study experience," he said.
Several of the students had studied English since they were young. However, Rath didn't start taking English courses until he was in college. He said he struggled in the first six months of his classes to keep up with the advanced vocabulary.
None of the students, who were all in their early 20s, had ever been to the United States. They traveled three days and two nights to get to Hays, including multiple flights and layovers and a four-hour car trip from Kansas City.
Sin said she told people on the plane she was going to Kansas, and they didn't know where that was.
She said being in Kansas seemed unreal.
"When we saw the farms and houses and decorations, it felt like an American movie. We are in a dream," she said.
Rath said he knew Kansas was a rural farming area. He was surprised to find Hays is a small city.
"You have very good infrastructure," he said. "I saw a lot of hotels and industrial zones. This is a different landscape for me."
Sin said she was also impressed by the region's use of green energy. She had never seen a wind generator in person.
Rith said she never expected to receive an invitation to receive her diploma in person.
"I was expecting to get the certificate sent in the mail," she said. ... "This is a good opportunity to see my professors who I haven't seen in person because we have always been doing online stuff. It's really great."
The students were also a little shocked by the cold. Although Tylzour researched the weather and packed gloves and a winter coat, he was still taken aback by the cold and sharp wind on Friday.
Rith said she did not expect everyone to be friendly.
"In Cambodia, everyone goes in a group," she said. "If you don't fit in, you don't fit in. Upon coming here, I'm more comfortable speaking to people because I know they're going to judge me. At the same time, they're very welcoming and very helpful."
The students were scheduled to tour Hays Friday afternoon, including a visit to the Sternberg Museum. Soklida Heng, graduate, also planned on making other stops in the U.S. during her trip, including New York City, Los Angeles and Nevada.
Phil Whittcorn with FHSU global affairs said the American University of Phnom Penh has about 40 more students moving through the computer science program. Now COVID restrictions have eased, FHSU would like more of the partnership students to travel to Hays not just for graduation but for short-term study abroad experiences.
FHSU is launching a similar partnership program in Malaysia in fall of 2023. The program will begin with business, informatics and communication studies.