nay min's story
My name is Saw Nay Min. I am a Burmese student studying Civil Engineering at Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand.
When I was young, I lived in Myanmar with my family. However, my parents couldn’t afford my school fees so I was sent to a migrant school on the Thai-Myanmar border. I used to visit my family once a year. I remember those journeys vividly: many parts of the road, particularly those between Myawaddy to Hpa An, would be out of repair. They would even be inundated during the rainy season. The long and unforgiving commutes seared into my memory. Another memorable aspect was the stark change in landscape as we traveled from Thailand to Myanmar: unlike our more advanced neighbour, Myanmar’s infrastructure was deplorable. The contrast became even sharper as I traveled to my village, which could only be reached by winding muddy paths. I came to realize that poor infrastructure was as much a cause as a consequence of our economic problems. For example, it took a day to travel from my village to the nearest town, making any high volume trade impossible. That's how I decided to become a civil engineer. After studying the General Education Diploma in my migrant high school, I enrolled in the civil engineering programme at Rangsit University. University has not been easy. I encountered problems because I was unaccustomed to the teaching method. However, with much determination, I am glad to say I’ve made significant improvements compared to my 1st year and am currently doing quite well. I still have much to learn about Civil Engineering, but I am ever grateful for the opportunity to be transformed an ordinary boy into an engineer-to-be. I thank Connecting Myanmar for supporting me financially, and also my dearest high school teacher Steve Gomersall for believing in me. I am eager to acquire the knowledge that would help me make a difference to my home country. Please stay tuned as I pave my way to the future. |
About Saw Nay Min:
Age: 23 Ethnicity: Karen Place of Birth: Naung Ka Top, Bee Lin, Mon State, Myanmar. Programme and Year: School: Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand Major: Civil Engineering Year: 3rd year Interesting Facts: Q: If you could have dinner with a famous person, who would it be? A: Jack Ma. He started from zero but attained incredible success through utter determination. It would be a huge privilege if I could meet him! Q: Who is the most inspirational person in your life? A: My Dad. He was a primary school drop-out and really struggles to support my family. Nonetheless, he has always been generous to me (when I was young and didn't know better, I always asked him for pocket money and he would never refuse!). Hard labour has taken a toll on his health. I hope I can be as selfless as him. |
My first day at university