Upon accepting the internship position, I had no idea what to expect. Not only had I never been to Cambodia, but I had never been to Southeast Asia at all. The fear and trepidation were immense, and I was unsure how I would adapt to the language and culture, or whether I would find a sense of community so far from home.

My work with CKS focused on their large and ever-expanding library. As the library intern for the summer, I was taught about the ins and outs of managing a library, specifically one dedicated to academic research and preserving Cambodian scholarly work for a global audience. In total, I catalogued close to a thousand entries in the library system, including hundreds of newspapers and academic texts.

With Bong Sivleng, Alexander’s supervisor at CKS. photo/provided

My supervisors Bong Sivleng and Bong Mey were incredibly supportive in teaching me how to catalog these texts and use the library’s system, and also in helping to ease the transition into Cambodian life. For example, on my first day there, the women in the office hosted a welcome dinner for me and the other Global Intern, Effi Acquaah. It was such a wonderful surprise and immediately made me feel at ease. This dinner taught me something that would remain at the forefront of my mind the entire time I was in the country and when I arrived back home: that CKS and the people who work there are truly some of the kindest people I have ever met.

Read the full story on the Cornell Chronicle.

Emma Alexander ’26 was a student leader for the 2025 Pre-Orientation Service Trips.