I grew up in Mogaung, Kachin State, where conflict, displacement, and limited opportunities were part of everyday life for many. From an early age, I began to understand that education could offer more than personal advancement. It could also give people stability, confidence, and hope.
In 2016, after completing high school, I volunteered as a teacher at an internally displaced persons’ camp in Mahkawng. I taught English and helped children with their school lessons. I also taught English grammar to high school students at my church. At that time, I had little professional experience, but I saw how meaningful it was for young people to have someone who believed in their ability to learn. Those early experiences shaped how I began to see my own future.
The following year, I joined Naushawng Community School in Myitkyina to study English and social studies. Learning English was difficult, but it opened a much wider world to me.
I gained access to new ideas, academic materials, and opportunities that had once felt distant. I later studied a BA in English at Mohnyin University through distance education from 2018 to 2019, and became involved in research projects with the Naushawng Development Institute and the Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation in 2019. Through these experiences, I discovered that research could do more than describe problems; it could help people understand them and make better decisions.
In 2021, I received a Child’s Dream Scholarship to study International Relations and Development at Rangsit University in Thailand. Moving abroad was a turning point. I had to adapt to a new academic system, communicate across cultures, and become independent. I took part in student leadership and communications activities as a member of the university’s student union because I wanted my university experience to include service, not only academic achievement.
After graduation, I joined Philanthropy Connections Foundation in Chiang Mai, where I worked on education and humanitarian projects across Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
About Arra
- Age: 26
- Ethnicity: Kachin
- Country: Myanmar
School & Program
- Chulalongkorn University
- Master’s, Population Policy & Human Development
- 1st Year in Program
Goals & Dreams
- Establish a research-focused social enterprise
- Become a policy analyst and researcher
- Vist Paris and Switzerland
Loan Details
- Loan Amount: $3,625
- Amount Left To Fund: $3,625
- Contract Duration: 11 years
- Status: In School
Over time, I learned that leadership begins with listening, understanding different working styles, and helping people find practical solutions.
My work eventually led me back to research. Communications can make important issues visible, but I want to go further by analyzing evidence and contributing to policy. My research on how displacement and limited opportunity shape young people’s decisions strengthened my interest in policy-relevant work, particularly around insecurity, disrupted education, and limited employment.
I have now been admitted to the MA in Population Policy and Human Development at Chulalongkorn University and awarded the Chula LINK Scholarship 2026. However, the scholarship does not cover an additional substantial amount of program fees, thesis-related costs, and other personal expenses.
A Zomia loan would help me take this next step. In the future, I hope to work within the academic and policy community as a researcher and policy analyst, producing evidence that supports better decisions on migration, labor, education, and human development. I want my education to become not only a personal achievement, but also a useful contribution to the wider community.
Written by Arra with editing assistance from Zomia’s volunteer editors.
Arra
“I saw how meaningful it was for young people to have someone who believed in their ability to learn.”
