Khom Rien, Study Hard: Nina’s Story

When CSF Alumni Nina Thach started working with College Success Foundation, she had always dreamt of going to college. Her family had immigrated from Cambodia, and they had a saying, “Khom Rien,” which meant “study hard” in Khmer. To this day, she continues to live by those words. 

While Nina was growing up, her parents juggled multiple jobs to give her and her siblings the best life they could. They taught her resilience in the face of adversity and always motivated her to study hard. At Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Nina juggled her academics, extracurricular activities and a part-time job. Despite all this, as a first-generation college student, she knew very little about how to get into college, let alone how to pay for it.

Starting in grade 9, Nina worked her way through College Success Foundation’s suite of high school programs. First the CSF HERO program which builds college awareness and supports college readiness in grades 9-10; then the CSF Achievers program which works with students on the college application and financial aid processes in grades 11-12. Through both programs, she received a network of support that mentored and coached her through the college application process. 

Nina credits her CSF Advisors’ “discipline and unconditional support” for ultimately guiding her to a full scholarship to Pacific Lutheran University. Now in her second year of medical school, Nina continues to “‘study hard”’ and is well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming a family physician in her hometown of Tacoma.