In this episode, host Chad interviews Fedrick Ngo, a Cambodian American professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), who shares his family’s journey of resilience, migration, and cultural rediscovery. Fedrick reflects on his family’s move from Cambodia to the United States, and how growing up in Syracuse, New York, and later Long Beach, California, shaped his identity and connection to both his Cambodian roots and his American upbringing.

He discusses the challenges of navigating life as a Cambodian American, from the struggles of assimilation to the search for belonging, and how these experiences ultimately inspired his passion for education. Fedrick describes how his academic path led him into research on community college outcomes, with a particular focus on the barriers faced by Cambodian American and other underrepresented students. Through his work as a professor, he emphasizes the importance of access, equity, and culturally responsive teaching as key to empowering the next generation of students.

Beyond his academic career, Fedrick shares his personal commitment to reconnecting with and preserving Cambodian culture, both for himself and for the broader Cambodian American community. He reflects on the significance of passing on Khmer traditions, language, and history to future generations, ensuring that cultural identity remains strong even in diaspora communities.

This conversation highlights the powerful intersections of community, education, and cultural identity, showing how Fedrick’s personal history and professional mission come together in service of both scholarship and cultural preservation. His story is a testament to the role of education as a tool not just for personal advancement, but also for collective empowerment and the safeguarding of cultural heritage.