Her story:
Haidy Ear-Dupuy is a US/French national who was originally born in Cambodia. As a child- refugee, she escaped war in Cambodia and survived as a boat person to escape communist Vietnam. She went on to become the first person in her family to complete a university degree at the University of Wisconsin. Haidy then contributed to the rescuing and rehabilitation of children from human-trafficking and sexual exploitation, receiving recognition from the United States government for her work. She is currently contributing to development of the Asia and the Pacific region through her work with the Asian Development Bank.
How has English or language served as an empowerment tool for you?
"I remember a poster with an open door in one of my language classes with a cheesy slogan: 'A new language opens new doors'. This expression did not carry its full meaning until I found myself face-to-face with another person who didn't speak a single word of my own language. This was my case as a refugee child escaping from Cambodia by foot, and then later escaping to Vietnam by boat, living in a refugee camp in Indonesia. I had to learn English while not needing to use it very much. I was not aware of the importance of English until my family and I sat in front of an American case worker who stared at each of us and asked us some questions in English. I realized how important English for me as I answered the case worker's question: “My name is Ear Seanghai and I am ten years old”. My response made him smile. By speaking English, I showed the American case worker that I was interested in going to the USA, and that I could assimilate into the country when I got there. My ability to speak English became even more important when I arrived in Washington DC as my parents did not speak English - they instead spoke Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese, and some French. All of us children became translators for our parents. We learned to read write, fill out forms, and most importantly, tell our stories so that others could learn about our lives as refugees. We were witnesses to the atrocity of war; we lived to tell the story, so that others who came after us would not suffer the same fate. Speaking, reading and writing in English opened many doors for me, as it is an official language of the United Nations. With English, I was able to read so many books from all over the world. There is endless knowledge that exists in these books. Every subject I want to explore has been researched and written by someone, and I have complete access to them. With English, I was never lonely or bored, I carried a book with me everywhere I went. There is no end to reading and learning new things. With my English abilities, I attended university and studied everything- from political science to history to economics to biology to ecology to development. I wanted to understand why poverty existed and what I could do to help solve the problem of economic and social inequality. With English, I was able to explore and ask many questions, and with each question, I learned new things. That door on the poster in my language class has remained open ever since. I’ve traveled to many countries since my refugee days, and each time, English has been an important source of connection. The more doors I’ve walked through, the more doors I can open. After learning English, I asked myself, "why stop there?" I started to learn other languages too, like Spanish, French, Chinese, and Russian, but it all started with English."
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