Bong Srei Leadership
The Bong Srei (“older sister” in Khmer) is Banteay Srei’s cascading mentorship and leadership program where alumni become youth leaders of Banteay Srei. The Bong Sreis are mentored by the staff but also mentor the current youth participants. They attend an intensive leadership training at the beginning of the academic calendar, develop curriculum and programming, and co-facilitate community workshops. Each month, Bong Srei youth leaders also attend a leadership training, topics ranging from working with different personalities, event planning and management, conflict mediation, and much more.
ELLIE
Ellie was born in Guatemala and got to the U.S. when she was young, and is now attending high school in Oakland. Some things that she enjoys doing includes sports such as karate, basketball, tennis, and badminton. Ellie first started interning at Banteay Srei in the summer of 2022 and was happy to welcome any and all women to build sisterhood!
SOPHIE
Sophie is an 11th grade student in the Public Health Academy at Oakland High School. She joined Banteay Srei in the summer of 2022 to learn more about her heritage and identity as a Southeast Asian female, as well as to build sistahood in a fun and loving community. She currently participates in Srei, Bong Srei, and soon SAUCE. Sophie looks forward to creating and participating in many other fun Banteay Srei projects!
JESSICA
Jessica is a high schooler who became a Bong Srei for Banteay Srei in 2023. She is excited to continue growing as a person and a leader in this role.
NGOC
Ngoc Ta is a senior at Coliseum College Prep Academy (CCPA). She joined Bong Srei in January 2023 and is excited to get to know the sistahood more. CCPA is predominantly Latinx, so she is looking forward to reconnecting with her Asian community. She hopes to learn about more societal issues that are not brought up. She loves discussing hard topics and exploring new cultures.