Every morning, a school bus travelled through the mountainous villages of Tha Song Yang district in Tak province. Inside, a young girl named Kornwalai Chuenmorkchantr -- better known as Mook -- sat with her sisters and brother along with other children.
While the ride was long, Mook was happy; she knew that when she arrived at school, she would have a good lunch and a chance to learn.
"It was a very happy memory for me," Mook reminisced about her time at Ban Mae Ousu Wittaya School in Tha Song Yang district, the only school she attended from kindergarten until she finished high school.
Now, Mook is no longer a student on a bus. She is a dental nurse at Mae Sai Hospital in Chiang Rai province. Her journey from a small wooden house in a remote village to a university graduate is a story of hard work and never giving up.
Mook was the third of five children in a Karen hilltribe family. They did not have much money, but they had a lot of love. However, life changed quickly when Mook was only six years old. Her father passed away suddenly. Her mother was left alone to raise five children while also caring her own ageing mother.
Building up a foundation
To help the family, Mook and her older sisters had to work hard. They did physical labour to help their mother buy food. Even though life was difficult, Mook realised something important. Education was her only way out. She knew that if she studied hard, she could get a good job and take care of her family.
Mook wanted to study healthcare, just like her older sister who went to nursing school. But she knew her mother could not afford her university expenses.
When Mook started senior high school, she applied for a student loan. Most students spent their loan money quickly after they received it, but not Mook. She was incredibly disciplined. She saved every baht for her future. She knew that one day, she would need that money for university tuition.
Her hard work paid off. She was accepted into the Sirindhorn College of Public Health in Khon Kaen province. Her savings paid for the first semester, and later, she received a scholarship from the Ouyang-Bangkok Post Fund, under management of the Bangkok Post Foundation.
"My family and I were very grateful," Mook said. "The scholarship meant I didn't have to worry about money any more. I could just focus on my lessons."
University was not easy at first. Because Mook grew up in a hilltribe village, she spoke a Karen dialect which was used interchangeably with standard Thai language in classrooms. When she arrived at college, she found it difficult to follow lectures delivered entirely in Thai.
At first, she was very quiet and shy. But Mook is a survivor. She practised hard, and after a few months, she could understand everything. She even became one of the most talkative and active students in her class.
Mook also worked a part-time job at a beverage shop near the campus during her breaks. She wanted to make sure she had extra money for emergencies. In late February this year, she graduated with a Bachelor of Public Health (Dental Public Health), with second-class honours, a very proud moment for her family.
Giving back to society
Upon her graduation, Mook applied for jobs at two hospitals and was offered a position by both. Mook chose to work at Mae Sai Hospital in the North so that she could be near her home and take care of her grandmother on weekends.
Part of her job involves travelling with the hospital's mobile clinic, which offers medical check-ups to people in remote areas. As a dental public health officer, Mook's main responsibility is to provide dental care and educate the community on oral hygiene. On each trip, the mobile clinic serves 200 to 300 patients in a single day.
"It is very tiring work," Mook says with a smile, "but it makes me feel very good inside to help people."
A New Dream
Mook's journey is not over yet. She has a new goal: she wants to become a physical therapist, a field she has been interested in since she was young. She plans to work hard, save her money and go back to school again.
Looking at Mook today, no one doubts she will succeed. She has already shown that with discipline and a strong heart, anyone can reach their dreams -- no matter how far they have to travel or how many mountains they have to cross.
