“I always wondered how a computer works and communicates with the other devices,” says Rachana Khe, a 20-year-old female IT student from Kratie province.

Now a third-year student in IT networking at University of Puthisastra in Phnom Penh, Rachana Khe dreams of becoming an IT manager.

She spends her mornings working in mobile application testing for Golden Gekko, a company that she interned for in IT support when she was a sophomore. She has now worked for them as full-time staff member for almost a year.

“I test applications on smartphones, tablets and browsers. Furthermore, I also do tests on BackOffice (Server) by adding data,” she explains.

Wanting to make sure her skills are up to date and desirable to employers, she keeps updated with the latest technology. Seeing that Cisco was one of the most sought-after skills in IT networking, she decided to apply a scholarship at Sunrise Institute for Technology.

Rachana got the scholarship and she is now pursuing her goal of being Cisco ceetified, which she says is “the most useful certificate in today's IT market”.

“I believe I can do it!” she says, adding that she believes it’s important for Cambodian youth, especially woman, to engage with technology.

Dara Saoyuthnea