Female IT Student Dedicated to Promote Gender Equality in Technology
Chea Sreylin uses her studies in information technology (IT) to promote the idea that women are able to do as many things as men. Photo provided
- By Nhoek Samoun
- July 17, 2023 4:09 PM
PHNOM PENH – Chea Sreylin uses her studies in information technology (IT) to promote the idea that women are able to do as many things as men. She hopes to become a role model for any woman who would like to engage in IT studies, still largely male-dominated.
The 23-year-old undergraduate from Kampot province is a junior student at Kirirom Institute of Technology, in Kampong Speu province.
In addition to having an appetite for IT, she wants to show that, through education, women can take real control of their lives, combining financial independence with becoming leaders in the economy and society, just like men do.
“When a woman has a job and is well educated, she no longer has to depend on men. She can use her knowledge to develop herself,” she said. “Women can do just as much as men.”
Even though she loves what she’s doing, her studies are not a walk in the park. IT requires doing a lot of research and spending countless hours in front of the computer.
While she attends university in the morning, she makes the most of her afternoons to do internships and volunteer work at her school, so that she can learn coding and work on personal projects involving new technologies.
This is how she ended up co-creating her own software, which goes by the name of “Optimus”, an artificial intelligence program that connects with CCTV. It can track cars by scanning their plate number and allows the system to collect traffic data automatically.
With two of her friends, Sreylin competed in the “Bandos Digital Startup 2023” challenge in May 2023. Her team won a $10,000 prize to further develop the technology.
She hopes that she will be able to use her knowledge and experience to make a positive impact on society after graduating.
She also exhorts other women to continue their own education, which is key to empowering women and promoting gender equality in Cambodia’s society.
Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Te Chhaysinh for Cambodianess.
