Vannaro’s Reflection on Community Engagement

Vannaro joined EMC in May 2020 as a Business Analyst in the SME & Corporate Advisory team. He holds two degrees – Accounting & Finance from CamEd Business School and International Economies from Institute of Foreign Languages. He enjoys spending time at coffee shop. His favorite spot is the Gloria Jean’s in CamKo City. In his spare time, he loves volunteering with youth groups and playing football with friends.

In March 2019, Vannaro was selected as a member in cohort 7 of the U.S. Ambassador’s Youth Council (ក្រុមប្រឹក្សាយុវជនឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក). AYC is part of the global initiative around other U.S. Embassies worldwide aiming to cultivate young leaders from around the country. The program meets every month to engage youth on relevant and interested topics. AYC members like Vannaro work in executing projects and related activities to raise awareness of social issues while also developing themselves professionally. AYC is a two-year commitment.

Vannaro applied to AYC for two reasons. Firstly, he wanted to contribute meaningfully to his country. He believes that everyone and anyone can help in terms of time and effort. Secondly, he wanted to learn new skills especially around project management, execution, and leadership. As a young working professional, Vannaro knows these are the qualities he wants to improve on so he can further support the younger generations. His favorite AYC experience was the opportunities to share knowledge with other Cambodian youth through different project implementations. Vannaro also really liked networking with other AYC members because of their diverse backgrounds and experiences, both academically and professionally.

In retrospect, AYC was an amazing personal and professional development experience for Vannaro. He implemented a project, improved his problem-solving skills, and most importantly, gained lifelong connections. He respects and supports AYC values and mission. Moreover, he appreciates his cohort for being understanding and open-minded. It was those qualities that made his time with AYC so memorable.

Volunteering is so important and necessary for the development of our youth. Studies have shown that it can provide healthy boost to self-confidence among other benefits. EMC loves seeing our team getting involved in the community and we take great pride in supporting their endeavors.