Bangkok--6 Sep--Kanokrat and Friends
Ms. Watcharaporn Schrikel a second year student in the International Business Management Program (IBM) at Stamford International University’s Bangkok campus, won third place in the International Oratorical Speech Contest 2012, hosted by Chulalongkorn University Alumni Association that was held on Saturday, February 11, 2012.
On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, Chulalongkorn University Alumni Association took the contestants who had participated in the competition, including Ms. Watcharaporn Schrikel, to have an audience with the Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at the Dusidalai Hall, Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace.
Placing third in this prestigious contest was a significant accomplishment, though Ms. Watcharaporn, or Golf, as she is also known has demonstrated exceptional leadership and great success in other academic and extra-curricular areas as well, which is why she was chosen as a Stamford Hall of Fame Student.
Golf told us that her winning the speech contest was part of a larger theme in terms of how she is benefiting from her education at Stamford. “For one thing, it was Stamford that really gave me the opportunity to get into the contest — I told several of my professors and the administrative staff that I was looking for ways to grow -- they were so approachable and supportive. As soon as they learned about this contest, they coached me, encouraged me and were there with me by my side.”
Her speech was about how great and wonderful the King of Thailand is and how his projects and activities have bettered the lives of Thai people. She talked about how during last year’s flood crisis he worked non-stop, even though he is in the hospital. “And even as he ages, he continues to work on behalf of the Thai people.”
When asked about why she believed she was so successful in the contest, she answered by saying, “With the support of my family and the faculty, I chose beautiful words and spoke from the heart, not from my mind. When you speak from your mind, you sound like a robot — you can’t memorize things you are passionate about — they must come from the heart.”
Golf said that opportunities like this are why she chose to study at Stamford, adding that “Stamford is globalized and internationalized — it really is. It’s an open world. Here I am exposed to different thoughts, beliefs and behaviors — it is a shortcut to an international experience. I don’t have to wait 5 or 10 years and have a whole lot of money, here the world is open to me and it’s a shortcut to gaining experience.”
“The connection with Laureate International Universities gives us opportunities at a truly globalised education, exchange, and social connections. We can go abroad, and even if we don’t, we have exchangestudents here at the Bangkok campus — and it’s not just individuals from other countries, it’s whole groups people from other cultures. With the 2015 AEC, it’s going to be even bigger — this connection with Laureate is going to help me a lot. I’m already one step ahead of most people.”
Golf shared that she is the first person in her family to attend University, so she feels a great deal of pride and responsibility to make the most of her time at Stamford. “The reason people fall down in their lives is because they chose to step down, actually. When I talk with younger students, I tell them that if they want to, they can do anything, just don’t give up.”
As the Academic President of the SSO, she feels a certain responsibility to take care of the incoming freshmen. “At Stamford, we are not just a university, we are a family. We take care of each other like family. It’s like a circle of happiness, when you help lift others up, you are also lifting yourself up — this is the reason that people here aregenuinely happy. It’s also the power of word of mouth and why Stamford is growing — when students are happy, they tell their parents, who then may tell their friends — it’s person to person — it’s touching them directly.”
“I hope I am a person that people respect, not just because of my age, or because I’ve been here a little longer, but because I have earned their respect. I admit, I work hard at this and that sometimes I feel tired, but it’s all worth it when someone comes up to me and gives me a big hug!”