Channy Chhi Laux

Channy Laux is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. She was thirteen-years-old when the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. From 1975 to 1979, Channy endured starvation, horrendous working conditions, sickness and repeated separations from her family. 

In June of 1979, Channy arrived in Lincoln Nebraska as a refugee. After four years of no school and not knowing a word of English, she attended Lincoln High School; went on to earn BS degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Santa Clara University. Channy worked in Silicon Valley as an engineer in the Aerospace and Biotech industries for 30 years.

As a strong supporter for women in engineering, Channy has been a board member of INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering) and held office as president of INCOSE Bay Area Chapter. 

Channy is married to her college sweetheart, they have two children Natasha and Richard. Channy is living in Fremont CA with her husband Kent Laux. She is passionate about food, cooking, dining, and entertaining friends. She is an entrepreneur and owner of Apsara Foods, manufacturing Cambodian food products here in the USA.

Short Hair Detention

Memoir

Short Hair Detention is a true story recounting the intimate details of a thirteen-year-old Cambodian girl and her journey through the devastating years of the Cambodian genocide (1975 -1979). It progresses from the first six months of starvation to the agonizing moments when the Khmer Rouge separated her from her parents and how she learned to survive year-round unforgiving conditions. Throughout the journey, she experienced constant reminders to keep faith in God and to not lose hope that her family would somehow be able to survive.
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Incredibly, the story describes undeniable moments of giggling with her starving teenage girlfriends, even under the direst circumstances. Those friendships, along with numerous kind-hearted people on the journey helped her to keep sane with small strands of hope to cling to. The story also reveals the animal instinct within that takes over the conscious mind, the self-inflicted emotional pain that weakened her, and the love that she had for her mother that gave her strength. It was this mother-daughter love that motivated her to look past her own misery and strive to survive for her mother.
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