My name is Pwint. I was born in 1990. I am from Mong Nang village, Jaytee Township in Southern Shan State. I have one older brother named Sai. I am the youngest daughter of my parents.
When I was young, I lived with my grandmother because my father served in the Shan Army for many years and my mother was a migrant worker in Thailand. I studied in my village until grade nine, and after I finished grade ten I helped my aunt’s business. After I finished grade eleven, I moved to Taunggyi to study Physics at Taunggyi University. Unfortunately, my parents could not continue support me, so I had to come to Thailand.
In 2010, I came to Chiang Mai, Thailand to look for a job because my parents said that if I wanted to continue my studies at a university, I would have to pay for the academic fees. Fortunately, my uncle told me that there was a school called Bridging Educational Access to Migrants (BEAM) that would give me a chance to study and work at the same time.
While I was studying at BEAM, I worked as a waitress at the Swan Burmese Cuisine restaurant in Chiang Mai for three months. Afterward, I worked at SaWin Construction Group which is an agency that makes temporary passports for migrant workers. For eight months I was in charge of arranging the necessary papers for them. I worked there during the day and studied with BEAM at night.
In October 2013, I passed the GED exam and began volunteering teaching English for children at Thai Freedom House. I volunteered at Thai Freedom House for eight months. Apart from that, after I finished my GED I mentored students who were going to take the GED test at BEAM.
I really want to be a teacher in the future because I love teaching children in need. For the 2014-2015 academic year, I got a partial scholarship from BEAM and a loan from Zomia. By helping people who are in need, they inspire me to be an educator who can serve people in my own country.
About Pwint
- Ethnicity: Shan
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Asia-Pacific International University
- Bachelor’s, Education & Psychology
- Graduated
Goals & Dreams
- Become an inspiring teacher in my hometown
- Teach students who are at risk of dropping out of school
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $500
- Amount Left To Fund: $0
- Contract Duration: 10 years
- Status: Repaid in Full
Quotable
Pwint, in her own words
I am currently studying in education and psychology at Asia-Pacific International University. By choosing this field, I strongly believe that it will guide me to become a good teacher who can improve my country. After I finish studying at the university, I would love to go back to my hometown and teach people who do not have a chance to go to school. Children in my hometown do not have a chance to study when they are young because of the economic factors that make people struggle. Therefore, many children in Myanmar who attend secondary school drop out or fail to continue their studies because their parents cannot afford for them to go to school. Therefore, children have to work at teashops or other positions so that they can earn money for their household. This really inspires me to become a teacher who can help them by sharing my knowledge with them.
Education is essential for every young child in Myanmar because children are the hope of the future. Improvement in education will help people develop their skills and abilities to take advantage of expanding economic opportunities. I believe that I can make changes in the education system because since I was young I’ve had a dream to be an inspiring teacher. It is impossible to change the education system for the whole country at once; however, we can start by changing smaller areas of society. That is why I continue studying, even if I cannot help build the whole country in area of economics, technology, etc. At least I can help educate people in my country. I believe that teaching is good; we share our knowledge with people who know little and they can learn from what we are sharing.
In conclusion, after I finish studying at Asia-Pacific International University, I would love to go back to my hometown and help educate people who do not have a chance to study at the school. By sharing the knowledge that I have with people, I believe it will help them gain skills and understand themselves and society. If we can provide a more skillful education system to the children, I hope that it will help reduce the number of children who drop out from the school.
Written by Pwint with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Pwint’s professor, Asia Pacific International University
“She is my giggle.”
Pwint
“By choosing [Education and Psychology], I strongly believe that it will guide me to become a good teacher who can improve my country. After I finish studying at the university, I would love to go back to my hometown and teach people who do not have a chance to go to school.”