Born and raised in Cambodia, Dan spent some of his early years in the children’s orphanage center during the Pol Pot regime and at Khao I-Dang and Chunburi in Thailand refugee camps. He is a survivor of the Killing Fields and Phnom Dorng Rak massacres. In 1983 he immigrated to the United States alone with the sponsorship of his distant relatives in Texas (Pastor The Mey). Soon after, Dan relocated to California. It was not long that he met his Math Teacher (Robert E. McHugh) who decided to take Dan under his wings.

Living with a strong supportive family enabled Dan to graduate from Gardena High School with honors and went onto California State University Long Beach, and majored in Business Administration Accountancy. While attending school full-time, he worked part at Home Savings of America to pay for his school and living expenses. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree, Dan worked for Junipero Serra High School as a Math Teacher and a Volleyball Coach. In a short period of time, he was promoted to School’s Business Manager. His responsibilities included managing the school’s finances and facilities. Currently he is working at California State University Long Beach as a Senior Financial Management Supervisor for the College of Continuing and Professional Education.

Dan believes that he would not have progressed this far in life if it weren’t for the help of others. Therefore, he would like to return the favors by reaching out and serving the communities both in the United States and Cambodia. He lives by his quote, “I can’t help everyone but I can help someone; if everybody helps someone then everyone will be helped.”