My name is Rane Prak, and I am a first-year graduate student in the Ethnomusicology Ph.D. program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). My academic and artistic interests lie in Cambodian performing arts and musical traditions. As an undergraduate, I double majored in Humanities Honors and Asian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). I explore how Cambodian artists use cultural production to generate conversations concerning identity and memory. As a first-generation student, my passion is helping students overcome socio-economical barriers and achieve their dreams. I was an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Freshman Research Initiative-Scientific Inquiry Across the Disciplines program, where I guided first-generation STEM students from underrepresented communities within higher education in their humanities research. One of my aspirations is to expand research to be more accessible to scholars of all backgrounds.

I immigrated with my family from Cambodia at a young age, and pursued my primary education in a small town in Southeast Texas called Woodville. I played the clarinet, oboe, and saxophone in a band throughout my middle school and high school years. My band, consisting of students from diverse cultural backgrounds, bonded because of our shared love for music. Since I grew up in a small town without a Cambodian American community, I kept in touch with my Khmer roots by dancing along to videos of performances. I have taught myself Khmer traditional dance from the classical and folk genres. My aunt, a former professional singer of the Khmer wedding song and contemporary genres taught me Khmer folk and pop songs.

During my graduate studies at UCLA, I also play the ranat thum or wooden xylophone in the Music of Thailand Ensemble. Now that I have the valuable chance to pursue my graduate studies here in California, I am excited to immerse myself in Cambodian American culture and arts. I am also learning Khmer classical dance from Neak Kru Mea Lath, Founder and Creative Director of the Modern Apsara Company.