How would you describe leadership and its capabilities? For me, it is the individual strength to overcome any obstacle, the mindset and skills to support that strength, and the courage to stand firm for what one believes and not backing down until the goal is achieved. In other words, it is the power to shape your life with your own hands. I dream of a world where everyone not only has that power but exercises it as well.
I was raised in the upcountry to a middle-class family but went to the capital Bangkok for university. There, I clearly saw the social gap between people in my hometown and my city friends with a good education. I am grateful to my parents for working hard to give me the best education possible, but this was, unfortunately, not the case throughout my extended family. My cousin, who only had access to minimal education, told me how she got an entry-level job but lost it to AI. This reminded me of how important it is for the future of our society to have good, widely available education that teaches leadership skills.
My leadership first appeared at university. I participated in various projects, including an international leadership program. The standard of education in the rural area I lived was not high, but I sought to be on the same level as my peers who had been educated in more privileged environments. This helped me realize that I was lucky and grateful to have the same opportunities as them. I also started to believe that anyone could acquire leadership through a good education.
I am currently working as Vice President of Business Development for SWAG EV, an electric vehicle company. In addition to building EV infrastructure for the country and developing EV courses for Thai universities, we want to use our platform to help young people pursue educational opportunities. For example, we partnered with a second-tier university to provide internship opportunities. We also worked with students to create business plans for an e-bike rental service on campus and in the local neighborhood to raise awareness of EVs and green energy.
Disparity exists because we only focus on top universities. Shouldn’t everyone have the opportunity to learn fundamental career, life progression, and leadership skills? I believe future generations will have more than what we were given, but only if everyone can equally work on bettering themselves.
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