receives high honors in Albany A dream brought Heng Leng to America, but persistence and dedication got her to where she is today. Leng left Cambodia on a boat bound for America with her husband and two children during the revolution of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Army in April 1975. The couple did not fully know what they were going to do once they got here. Even with language a major barrier for her, Leng was able to find work as a seamstress and then as a translator for the Rochester City School District. In 1989, she started work at Bausch & Lomb, but was laid off 11 years later. Leng has a diploma from Cambodia, but decided she wanted an American one. In January 2001 she started her GED program through the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Center for Workforce Development. Leng's long journey and her hard work at BOCES 2 are paying off. The New York Association for Continuing/Community Education, Inc. (NYACCE) recently honored her as an Outstanding Adult Student of the Year (for 2001). Leng is among 14 other students across New York state to receive this award. She attended the awards ceremony at the Century House Inn and Conference Center in Latham on March 4 and was accompanied by her GED teacher Kay Schneider, who nominated her for the award, and Grace Carson, Adult Literacy Program manager. The next day, they attended a legislative breakfast in Albany. This is the second year in a row that a BOCES 2 GED student was selected for this award. Leng, now a single parent, has overcome many obstacles in her life. Soon after arriving in America, her three-year-old son died from polio and, in 1998, her oldest son, who was an executive at Xerox, was killed in a train accident. "It took me a long time to cope with the losses of my two children. The first few months after their deaths were the most difficult. I didn't think that I would survive. I didn't think I wanted anything anymore, it was like losing both of my arms." Leng enjoys spending time with her 14-year-old daughter Roselyn and 26-year-old son Carey. "I love them both very much and even though we have suffered losses in our lives we make it through them together. My children are what I live for today and keep me going. I just want to make them happy," Leng said. "I am proud to be where I am today and to experience the freedoms of America." It is because of Leng's positive attitude, determination and hard work that Schneider nominated her as an outstanding student. "She served as a mentor in math for other students, helping them with their work and showing concern for their problems," Schneider said. While she got her start at BOCES 2, Leng now attends Bryant and Stratton where she is learning accounting and is on the dean's list. She will receive her associate's degree this August. "In Heng's case, it made sense for her to go on to another school, since and accounting degree was her goal," Schneider said. "Without BOCES and my teacher Kay Schneider, I would never have made it to Bryant and Stratton," Leng said. "I am very grateful for all the support I received." |
