For many young adults, studying abroad can be a life-changing experience from enhancing your global network to experiencing a new culture, the benefits to your education and career are significant.

Kimheng Peng, an international student from Cambodia, who received a 100 percent scholarship to Skyline, studies computer science. This is his first time studying in the U.S., and Kim feels excited because instead of being scared, he likes to challenge himself.

“I always love facing challenges instead of being scared,” Peng said. “Studying in the new education system is like an adventure, but I’m willing to take on that challenge.”

Skyline College is located in the Bay Area, and to Peng, this area is where the region has the most high-tech companies in the U.S. Peng believes that based on this strong geographic location, Skyline can provide a great opportunity to learn about computer science.

“The reason why I choose computer science is because I have always been fascinated by high technology and computer function. Also the society is developing and relying more on technology for survival, and this job is going to be editorial and popular in the future,” Peng said.

In addition, the professor of computer science at Skyline is very knowledgeable and a high-tech company has provided the workshop opportunity for students on our campus.

“I choose to study here not only because I expect to learn from the professor who has well-known experience in my major, but also the representative of the high-tech company has open the workshop in Skyline,” Peng said.

As an international student, Peng has noticed some differences between colleges in Cambodia and Skyline. The first is that students in Cambodia need to study independently, while at Skyline students can always get help from professors or tutors with their school work in the Learning Center by making an appointment.

Other than direct help, Peng also found that Skyline has many other sources to use that is helpful for his school work.

While the resources at Skyline are helpful, a surprising aspect for Peng was the length of the class. Peng discovered that the class time at Skyline is shorter than Cambodia. Here students have a lot of assignments outside of the class, however, in Cambodia, the classes take longer in general, but students have less assignments after the class has finished.

“This is a new education system for me, the class is shorter than in my country,” Peng said. “Also I discovered that here we have more assignments to do.”

Despite the differences in the educational system, the food is also different between from the U.S. and Cambodia. Peng hopes to bring some food from his country to the U.S.

“I want to bring really bizarre Khmer foods here, such as fried tarantulas, crickets, snakes, and more,” Peng said. “I would love to see people try that food here.”

Although the U.S. is different than Cambodia, and some of the differences are pretty massive, Kimheng Peng is willing to learn from the experience.