On November 5, 2024, the acting director of Kwah Dao paid a periodic visit to Shwe Kyar, a sophomore scholarship student studying Architecture (Interior Design) at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna. The purpose of the visit was to follow up on her study progress, living conditions, and other relevant issues and to provide mentorship to her, as always.
On this occasion, Kwah Dao staff inquired Shwe Kyar about the difficulties of classes, obstacles in studying, relationships with classmates, and the well-being of herself and her family members. Shwe Kyar mentioned that the classes became more difficult than last semester, but she could catch up and maintain her academic performance. As for relationships with classmates, she got along well with friends and could ask for advice or assistance when necessary. The only thing that caused her concern a lot was her mother’s health. As her mother was not well, which was caused by prolonged hard work, she needed to pay more attention to caring for her than usual. To ensure she has a study-life balance, good mental and physical health, and stays positive, thoughtful suggestions on relaxation, stress handling, and problem-solving techniques were then given to her.
After just a year of supporting her in college, we started to notice the care she has for the forgotten community. Although she had to take challenging classes at college and handle stressful family issues simultaneously in the last semesters, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to contribute to community development activities. While some students were planning for their vacations or relaxation activities after the semester break, Shwe Kyar did the opposite, which greatly surprised us because she found and chose to participate in this activity by herself. She told us that she had planned to volunteer at an ethnic school located on a remote mountain on the Thai-Myanmar border. As for Shwe Kyar, she will teach art to teachers and students for a week at the aforementioned school. We are so excited to hear her experience when she arrives back and hopefully, we can share her journey to the forgotten community with our sponsors when the time comes.
