A recipient of a scholarship from the Bangkok Post Foundation said the financial assistance she received has helped her make her dreams of becoming a dentist a reality.
Kornkamol Boonyaritthipan, 29, who graduated from Thammasat University's Faculty of Dentistry this year with second-class honours, told the Bangkok Post that support from the foundation played a huge role in her achievement.
The Doctor of Dental Surgery degree is Dr Kornkamol's second professional qualification, having graduated from TU's Faculty of Applied Health Science in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in physical therapy. She worked as a physiotherapist at a public health centre in Phasi Charoen district for a little under two years, before she decided that she could do more to help patients if she became a doctor.
Born to a working class family, Dr Kornkamol lives with relatives spanning three generations under one roof. Her father, who is a computer repair technician, is the main breadwinner in the household, with the bulk of his income going towards funding his daughters' tuition fees.
To help ease her family's financial burden, Dr Kornkamol said she worked as a part time mathematics and English language tutor for high school students while she was studying in university. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she moved her tutoring courses online.
"I earned between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a month. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me. Every weekend, my mother would cook food for me so I could save money while living in the dorms. Her food could last me a week," she said.
While studying at the Faculty of Dentistry, she also got a clerical job in which she earned about 40 baht per hour.
Finding financial support
Despite working multiple part-time positions, Dr Kornkamol said she found it hard to pay the 50,000 baht tuition fee per term.
In her fifth year, she decided to apply for a 100,000-baht student loan from the university, listing her father's friend as the guarantor.
When she was about to commence her final year of studies, a faculty official urged her to apply for a scholarship from the Bangkok Post Foundation.
Intrigued, Dr Kornkamol applied. She wrote a short essay about herself, her struggles and what it would mean to her if she could get the support she needed to complete her studies.
The foundation acknowledged her application and ran background checks on Dr Kornkamol to verify her details and activities.
After the checks were completed, Dr Kornkamol was notified that her scholarship application was approved.
"I want to thank everyone and the foundation for their support so I can achieve my dream of being a dentist," said Dr Kornkamol, who opted to work in the northeastern province of Amnat Charoen after graduating in April.
Dr Kornkamol now works at Lue Amnat Hospital in Lue Amnat district, more than 600km from her home in Bangkok.
In a letter to the foundation, she said she worked at a dental clinic for a month before moving to Amnat Charoen to gain more experience and savings for her new life chapter.
She chose the hospital in Amnat Charoen because she wants to provide for people living in remote areas, who also need dental care.
She said working in a small community hospital like Lue Amnat Hospital is more challenging than working in a big provincial hospital with high-tech tools.
"I want to use my knowledge to help people, especially in the area where there is a need for dentists. I believe I can gain more experience here while also helping people," she said.
More than a grant
The Bangkok Post Foundation was founded in 1982 with initial funding of 500,000 baht provided by the Post Publishing Public Company Limited.
Its main objective was to give children from poor families the opportunity to attend school like other children.
The foundation began by sponsoring the education of eight underprivileged children.
In 1998, the foundation provided five scholarships to students from Ban Saphli School which was devastated by typhoon Gay in the Pathiu district of Chumphon.
The same year, the foundation received cash donations from readers totalling 800,000 baht, which the foundation spent on rebuilding Ban Saphli School. The foundation has since been offering scholarships to poor students.
The foundation has also lent its support to schools affected by other natural disasters, as well as providing educational facilities for disadvantaged schools in rural areas across the country.
These include schools devastated by the 2004 tsunami and the massive floods in 2011.
The foundation helped also children whose parents died when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck the southern province of Ranong.
The foundation continues to provide scholarships for these children so they can study to the highest level of education they can achieve.
In addition, the foundation helped restore seven schools badly affected by the 2011 deluge across Nakhon Pathom, Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani.
The foundation also supported funds to build facilities for six more schools in other provinces.
To date, the foundation has given scholarships to more than 700 students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including orphans and children with disabilities. The recipients range from kindergarteners to doctorate students.
The foundation is currently providing support for 234 students in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, vocational colleges and universities throughout the country.
So far, 163 recipients have graduated from universities and vocational colleges.
The foundation will continue supporting the education of poor students despite a decrease in donations during the three-year Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the financial difficulties, the foundation will persevere, providing scholarships from its reserve funds.
Unfortunately, due to the decreased funding, the foundation isn't able to offer scholarships to new applicants.
Those who are interested in supporting the education of students from low-income families so they can achieve their dreams, can do so by visiting the foundation's website at https://www.bangkokpost.com/bpfoundation/en. A donation can be made to 'Bangkok Post Foundation', account No. 218 026 7441, Bangkok Bank, Sunthornkosa Branch.