Meet Bee, an ambitious young student who pursues her education with passion and determination.
Bee was born in the Shan State of Myanmar and moved to Chiang Mai at a young age. Due to her parent's failed marriage, she and her mother fled their home country and resettled in Thailand. As they were from Myanmar, obtaining refugee status or legal identification in Thailand was extremely difficult. During this time, they struggled to live in Chiang Mai without proper legal status and constantly lived in fear. Bee and her mom were not permitted to rent property, open Thai bank accounts, and had limited opportunities. After they received temporary status, Bee began attending formal Thai education but only until 12th grade. Despite having completed Thai education, because of legal status, Bee ran into complications receiving accreditation and applying to university.
In an attempt to process legal paperwork, she returned to Myanmar and ran into another set of legal issues. Her only option was to take a year off to study for the GED through BEAM education and apply to university. Myanmar students who decide to take the GED often have to take time off and dedicate a lot of effort to preparing for this exam as it covers content focused on US history and culture. Some of Bee’s friends in a similar situation gave up and decided to pursue work. Despite setbacks, Bee was determined to complete her studies and further her education. She states that “education has always been my priority.”
In addition to legal complications, Bee’s mom passed away when she was 14. Despite Bee facing familial hardships, legal issues, and feeling disconnected from the Myanmar community in Thailand, Bee relentlessly continued pursuing education and chasing her dream of becoming a doctor.
Since she was young, Bee dreamed of becoming a doctor after seeing her mom face many medical hardships. It created a desire in her to help those in need. Bee states that even after her mom’s passing the “desire to become a doctor still stuck with [her], and can’t see [herself] doing anything else.”
After studying and passing the GED, Bee enrolled at Rangsit University in Bangkok. She is now a second-year Biomedical Sciences student on the pre-med track that prioritizes her studies over anything. She is most interested in the brain and hopes to specialize in Neurology after medical school. Attending an International university has allowed her to form a diverse community that serves as her support group. Aside from medicine, her biggest dream is to have a close family of her own and recreate the joy and love she once had.
In the future, she believes that Migrant Worker students should have the same access to educational opportunities and not experience the same legal issues she endured. Her dream for the people of Myanmar, especially young students, is that they’ll be able to get a chance: a chance to succeed in life and have more opportunities. She states that her cousins in Myanmar are equally as smart and driven yet don’t have the same opportunities or chances. In the future, she hopes that students from Myanmar can pursue education and their dreams without worry and greatly appreciates the support of We women and Ursula throughout the years.