Putthapaun Tanruangpaun
Ms. Putthapaun ("Mim") Tanruangpaun is a fourth-year student in Payap's International Business Management (IBM) program. She transferred to Payap's International College (IC) after spending over a year in Thammasat University's international program. Mim has successfully made the transition and has comfortably integrated herself into the Payap student scene. She is both an exceptional student and an active member of various student organizations. Mim is an extremely bright, young Thai lady who's unusually fluent in the English language. She would appear to be a model student who's adapted to western ideals and obsessed with achievement. But like nearly everyone you meet at Payap, there's more to the story than meets the eye. Mim was born and raised in Chiang Mai. She is 100% Thai, but does have some Chinese blood on her father's side. She attended Chiang Mai International School (CMIS) and upon graduation, decided with her family that she should attend a top-tier international program in Bangkok. That would be Thammasat. "I really wanted to attend a reputable school. I just figure that by having 'Thammasat' on my resume, it would open a lot of doors." But even before she started college, a deep yearning inside her about the meaning of life had already started to consume her. She calls it her "religious quest." This quest would take her to many places and would take many years. And it would compel her to search for life's true meaning, in a spiritual sense. Even before she began her university studies, at around the age of 15, Mim became interested in studying about religion. "I was really intrigued about it," says Mim. She started to read everything about Buddhism that she could get her hands on. She visited wat's and religious schools. She talked to religious scholars. Her "religious quest" wasn't confined to Buddhism. She attended Christian churches as well to obtain a better perspective. Although she felt she gave Christianity a "fair hearing," in the end, it was Buddhism that moved her. "Buddhism was the right path for me, all things considered," concedes Mim. Even after her realization that Buddhism was the path, she never stopped learning or questioning every aspect of the faith. "Even within Buddhism, there are so many different sects," says Mim. In her long road to discovery, she would often find a certain amount of satisfaction. But there were disappointments as well. Still learning and searching, Mim decided it was time to start her college career. She enrolled at Thammasat while still trying to find herself. Mim's early years at Thammasat were not easy ones. She enrolled in the Economics program, with the hopes of acquiring marketable business skills. Mim found out relatively quickly that she was at a distinct disadvantage. She didn't have the requisite background, particularly in advanced mathematics. This was something that her peers seemed to be better prepared for as most had taken prep-courses. Mim's secondary education involved mostly basic requirements, which did not prepare her for the rigors of university-level math. So she spent a great deal of time struggling through her math and science courses. On top of that, Mim was still focused more on her "religious quest." Predictably, her grades suffered. She simply couldn't do as well as she was accustomed to. On top of all that, Mim was not happy in her dormitory room due to poor ventilation. This may seem like a minor distraction, but it got to the point where she simply couldn't feel comfortable. With all the tangible and intangible distractions, Mim decided to call it quits after roughly 1 and 1/2 years. It was a relief of sorts, as she figured she would be able to focus more on her religious quest. After a short break, Mim decided that it was again time to return to her undergraduate studies. She toyed with the idea of attending another Bangkok University - perhaps one that wasn't so heavy in mathematics. But after consulting with her parents and mentors, she decided that it would be best to return to Chiang Mai to finish her education. Both Chiang Mai University (CMU) and PYU had English-speaking international programs, but only Payap had the business disciplines that she was interested in. So Payap it was! In her 1st year at Payap, Mim decided to be more cautious and only took a few courses (only seven over two semesters). She was still on her "religious quest," regularly visiting Wats and studying Buddhism. Mim was so immersed that she admittedly socialized very little in her 1st year. By the second year, however, Mim found the answers to many of the questions she had been asking. She discovered the Buddhist teachings of a monk named Pra Ratcha Prommayan Loung Paw ("father") Leu Sri Lingdum Wat Tha Sung. He was a famous monk whose teachings also influenced King Rama IX. "Loung Paw's" teachings could only be found in the writings of his followers, but the recordings were comprehensive and detailed. There were many books written and Mim read nearly all. She had found herself and in many ways, became much more settled spiritually speaking. By her second year, Mim started to develop close friendships with several of her fellow students. She started taking more classes and became heavily involved in student activities. In her third year, she joined the International Students' Union (ISU) and was a key member of the student organization SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise. SIFE's mission is to start a business project which directly aids the local community. Payap SIFE presented their work at the annual SIFE competition in Bangkok where roughly 23 universities were represented. The Payap SIFE placed 3rd. Mim also used her fluency in both English and Thai to perform as Master's of Ceremony on numerous occasions. On top of all that, she also did her work-study within the International College, doing miscellaneous administrative work for the Office of Institutional Advancement. With her many distractions behind her, Mim was finally living up to her full potential. Mim has greatly enjoyed her time at Payap. She concedes that when she first heard of Payap, she thought it was an insignificant little school that was so new, no one had ever heard of it. In fact, she felt that the only good thing about PYU was that it was located in Chiang Mai. But now that she's arrived, she's impressed about nearly every aspect of Payap. "Probably the most impressive thing to me is the quality of the faculty. Some of the Ajarn's (or college professors) here are really good at their jobs," says Mim. Pressed to complain about something, she expressed disappointment that there were no student lockers. "It's really a pain having to carry my textbooks around all day long." Mim is less focused about the future than she is about the present. Although she does have career aspirations ("I want to be a successful investor like Warren Buffet."), she doesn't have any immediate plans beyond graduation. She loves Chiang Mai and is not determined to leave any time soon. She likes to jog, do yoga/meditation, and cook. Mim has even picked up some Japanese and hopes to visit Japan some day. Mim has a playful side, a side which she typically exposes. But if she were asked serious questions requiring some deliberation, she would provide a thoughtful answer. Asked what are the first three things she would do if she were the Prime Minister of Thailand, she thought long and hard about it, then articulated very specific actions she would take. "I would create transparency in government and mass media. I would also enhance the powers of the King, as a check and balance against government corruption. And finally, I would provide free high school education. Education is vital to democracy." Very thoughtful answers indeed.
Written by Aj. Samuel Santisuk Chinnapongse
May 7, 2009