ARISE piloted "Intro to Khmer" in June 2018, in partnership with Roger Williams University. This class was a credit bearing course in the Rhode Island Department of Education Advanced Course Network, with free enrollment for all high school students.

Makna Men served as our course instructor. He has been involved with the Cambodian Society of RI (CSRI) since the early 1980s and worked as an educator and guidance counselor in many different settings, including at BMC Durfee High School in Fall River, the Providence School District, and Brown University. He co-wrote and published the book Determination in 2016 and currently works at Bristol Community College as Senior Academic Counselor overseeing the Academic Advising Center.