Chea Sayon
2007-08 Recognition Awardee
Finding Cures for Violence
Chea, an 18 year old young woman from San Francisco, graduated from Lowell High School. Chea will be attending UC Irvine in the fall, as a Recipient of a Stephanie Brown Cadet Memorial Foundation Recognition Award. Chea looks forward to reconnecting with family members who reside in Southern California, as she studies to become a Psychologist.
Chea topped the charts in terms of volunteer time, contributing an amazing 1000 hours plus in service to her community. Most notably, most of this service was performed in San Francisco's Visitation Valley, which is an extremely "At-risk" community. "Young people are literally being wiped out because of the increased gun violence. I used to worry about my safety at night, but now people are getting shot in broad daylight".
To help address the situation, Chea became involved with several youth empowerment and violence prevention programs. She became President of one such organization called "Youth leading Youth", which holds focus groups with teens from all over San Francisco to explore the causes of the violence and to formulate solutions. "Chea's outstanding public speaking skills help her communicate with people of all ages. Her natural charisma and strong personality allow her to be a natural leader" adds Ameerah Ali, Resident Services Coordinator for the Mercy Housing California organization.
"No one can do well in school if they have to dodge bullets. Volunteering in an impoverished community full of drugs, violence, and emotional instability has reinforced my commitment to becoming a Psychologist."
Please join us in congratulating Chea, a winner of a 2007 Stephanie Brown Cadet Memorial Foundation Recognition Award.