Erawan magazine fall issue

F A L L 2 0 2 1 | V o l . 1 I S S U E 1 T H E Y O U T H F U N D
I N V E S T I N G : 1 0 1
L O U I S E
TA E C H A U B O L
Dr. Paye Srinarong
- How music
changed my life
Ruttanun Vilailuck:
Business
Superstar
A Stanford
student’s
utimate guide
to college
admission
FOR STUDENTS,
BY STUDENTS

ARTIFORT BOCCI CATTELAN ITALIA DÉSIRÉE EDRA ESTEL FENDI CASA FOSCARINI
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THANK YOU
t o o u r k i n d s p o n s o r s

contents
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Erawan | volume I | issue no. 1
LETTER FROM EDITORS
IN CHIEF
ADMISSION STORIES
PASSION, PROSE AND PROJECTS
ART GALLERY
KEY INLUENCERS
07
44 58
78
86
52
68
74
32
22
30
64
38
16
24
Introducing The Youth
Fund
Secrets of the illusive
university admissions
process
A ‘Fresh’ perspective on
university applications
Study of Glioblastoma
Multiforme
A Stanford student’s
ultimate guide to
college admissions
Subsistence farming: in
what ways does it lead
to growth?
Sleep tight!
How music change my
life
The most effective way
to maximize online
learning
Investing 101
Self made success:
proof that age is just a
number
How a group of friends
transformed a small
COVID-19 relief project
into a multifaceted student
empowerment non-profit
A former admissions officer
gives us an insider look into
exactly how it all works
Palis (Fresh) Pisuttisarun
on getting that Harvard
acceptance whilst still
staying authentically true
to himself
A brief overview of the
deadliest form of brain
cancer by Peter Pakdeejit
Your step by step guide to
overcoming the challenges
of college admissions from
an Ivy League student
Giles Kinsella, talented
youth writer, offers his take
on the highs and lows of
subsistence farming on the
Thai economy
Upcoming youth scientist
Praewa Taylor explains the
science behind your sleep
deprivation
A collection of
student artwork
World renowed
conductor, Dr. Paye
Srinarong, shares his
humble beginnings in
music and how it spring
boarded his business
career
Kru A, owner of EPA
and education expert,
introduce the optimal
study routine for acing
online school
Louise Taechaubol,
CEO of Triton Holdings,
explains the highs
and lows of the stock
exchange, and how you
can get started
An insight into
entrepreneur Ruttanan
Vilailuck’s experiences
starting up his own
business at only 24 years
old
Your Screentime is Your
Demise
A group of ICS students
explain the science behind
screentime and give their
top tips on how to take care
of mental health during the
Covid-19 pandemic

HOW A GROUP OF FRIENDS
TRANSFORMED A SMALL COVID-19
RELIEF PROJECT INTO A MULTIFACETED
STUDENT EMPOWERMENT NON-PROFIT
By April of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused our lives
to revolve around digital education and isolation. News of
exponentially increasing death rates and scarce medical
resources made four students think that this wasn’t good
enough. That we must be able to change this, thereby putting
our collective brains to good use and coming up with the ‘Chuay
Mhor Chuay Chart foundation’ (which, we admit, was a small
instagram page with just under 100 followers). However, these
humble beginnings didn’t slow down our big plans and dreams
for change. With determination, resilience and trust in our vision,
we began an instagram story chain for transferring money and
got over 30,000 baht in donations, for buying essential medical
equipment such as PPEs and surgical masks to different
hospitals around Bangkok. On this philanthropic journey of
making impacts and fighting social injustices, we realised that
our help could reach beyond the confines of the healthcare
system. This was the start of our rebrand to ‘The Youth Fund’
(TYF, for short), a non profit organisation seeking to empower
the children of this generation through quality education and
opportunities given to all.
In the Oxford Dictionary, ‘empowerment’ is defined as “the act of giving somebody more control over their own
life…” In the 21st century, such empowerment could be through student activists taking control of their lives, by
voicing their opinions on key political issues such as education, race, and gender. While there is no set formula for
empowerment, we believe that it is a combination between providing knowledge and sharing passion, by giving the
modern student a multifaceted toolbox with the skills necessary to navigate this “Darwinesian” era of competition.
Whether it be through interviews with key-opinion leaders or student-submitted “passion” articles, Erawan strives to
create a credible platform for discussion and discourse, for students by students.
Our cover story, Peter Pakdeejit’s exclusive interview with Khun Louise Taechaubol, stock savant and Chairwoman of
Triton Holdings, explores the intricacies of the securities market and provides key insights into how to start and how to
manage risks, as well as detailing the many commitments required to succeed. This article also explores the role of
parenting in helping aspiring investors stay on track. The aim of this article is not to transform the reader into a
Wall-Street stock minion but to empower you, the reader, to do more research, read more books, and maybe even try
the Set-trade simulator. This would be considered a success, something which hopefully kickstarts an insatiable quest
for financial freedom.
Other articles in our first issue include Sophie Stevens’s interview with up and coming business superstar Phone
Vilailuck, which offers a candid window into the world of business with origin stories from his many ventures including
Michelin starred ramen restaurant “Tsuta’’ and his passion for photography. Furthermore, for the Harvard aspirants out
there, Gem Ninsuvannakul’s interview with Stanford attendee Chawin Asavasaetakul highlights the difficulties of
getting into an Ivy League university, whilst providing top tips on how to stand out amongst competitors and how to
study efficiently. In Gem Ninsuvannakul and Sammy Anuras’s joint article, former admissions officer, Kevin Keller,
delves into the secrets of gaining acceptance to top colleges in the US. Sammy Anuras’s scoop on Fresh, a Harvard
attendee and BPS alumnus, goes over the challenges of living as a gay man in the conservative Thai landscape; how
one man overcame those challenges and turned them into an opportunity to connect LGBTQ+ students through his
innovative app “Prism”. Moreover, Kru A, founder of the EPA international academic center, shares valuable tips on
acing online school in his interview with Gem Ninsuvannakul. Finally, Peter Pakdeejit’s conversation with Dr. Paye
Srinarong reveals that passion can push you further in life than expected; his humble beginnings in violin netted in
concerts across 7 continents, a music school empire and a C-suite job at Hilker some 20 odd years later.
Our student submissions highlight the passions of international school students from all over Bangkok from Giles
Kinsella’s piece highlighting the importance of efficient agriculture to Praewa Taylor’s essay on the science behind
sleep. As this is Erawan’s inaugural issue, we promise to continue our pursuit of empowering youth through
knowledge, celebrating bright students’ passions and hopefully netting our readers wisdom and sensitivity like our
namesake, the legendary elephant Erawan. Most importantly, we thank you endlessly for your ongoing support and
hope you enjoy our articles. ขอฝากเนื้้�อฝากตััวด้้วยนะครัับ!
To call our vision idealistic is an understatement. At first, we got
too caught up in the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘how tos’, before realising
not long after that we had zero baht in our bank account. With
another obstacle to hurdle through, our minds came together
again to find the best way to raise money and we came up with
‘The Grand Orchestra Night’ - a gala evening of fine dining,
beautiful music and our first venture into the world of
persuasion, pitching and reaching our financial goals.
In collaboration with the Thai Youth Orchestra, the Grand Hyatt
Erawan Hotel, and our generous sponsors, we set our sights
high with 100,000 baht revenue as the goal. Little did we know,
our net income was double that! We endured the inevitable
challenges of COVID-19 and the uncertainty that came with it,
creating a night solely dedicated to what mattered the most -
helping our brothers and sisters and being an advocate for their
educational opportunities.
OPENING
FROM EDITORS IN CHIEF
SINCERELY,
YOUR CO - EDITORS IN CHIEF
CELINE (GEM)
NINSUVANNAKUL
PETER
PAKDEEJIT
BY : RADA (SAMMY) ANURAS (EDITOR AND PR DIRECTOR) &
CELINE (GEM) NINSUVANNAKUL (CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF)
E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E T H E Y O U T H F U N D
6 7

When the day came, our first visit was filled with knowledge and
laughter, the children’s enthusiasm was unexpected and
overwhelming. It made us realize that the problem lay not with
their enthusiasm to learn but the limited resources and the rigid
and regurgitative education style they were still receiving. We
realized that in order to make a definitive change, we had to
transform their facilities.
ART GALLERY
A display of student passion
With slightly more baht in our pockets, we decided to go back
to our roots for the first TYF project, named ‘Eliminate Illiteracy’.
We thought back to the merit making and meditation camps at
Wat Nak Prok, a place we frequently visited as children to learn
the Buhddist values of ‘Dharma’, in other words, patience, inner
peace, generosity and compassion, to repay what they taught
us. In a society where a mere 27% of native Thais are English
speakers, the Thai educational system seriously lags behind in
the fastchanging world of globalisation in the 21st
century. Thus,
we decided to start a weekly programme of a carefully curated
‘Learning English through play’ curriculum, with guidance from
the experienced professionals at ‘Kids Academy’, a world
renowned preschool, who share the same vision.
With our help these next few years, an old, monolingual library
with no children’s english books will turn into a modern,
resourceful building filled with reading corners and colourful
picture books to cultivate a love of learning and research. A
classroom with only chalks and a blackboard will be turned into
a learning hub of innovation, technology and opportunity
through digital devices. Finally, we will establish state of the art
solar panels that provide a long lasting and sustainable solution
to lack of electricity- to make sure that no children are left
behind in this age of digital education.
We write this magazine from the heart, whilst thinking of the
children of today that will get the opportunity to become the
innovators of tomorrow. This is just the start of a journey that will
teach us empathy, grit and perseverance in helping others. With
steps, small or large, we will continue to fight for an education
system that questions instead of dictates; cultivates curiosity
instead of inhibiting it; and most importantly, a system that lets
their student’s passions flourish beyond the scopes of the
classroom. In hindsight, we were just four students with big
ideas; but we’ve come a long way since then. Our big dreams
and ambitions got us this far, but it is the lessons learnt from the
experience of teaching that will take us to places even further.
E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E
T H E Y O U T H F U N D T H E Y O U T H F U N D
8 9

AN ENTANGLED JAPAN
by RIE AIYAMA
I believe this piece represents the
blend of culture - both traditional and
modern - currently evident in Japan.
It represents the bold, graffiti-like
nature of new ideas and symbols,
but strongly emphasises that it
is not merely overwriting
the old themes and
styles, rather it is
coexisting in
harmony.
VINTAGE
by CELINE NINSUVANNAKUL
This piece is inspired by monochrome
photographer Bill Brandt. It explores the
combination of human with architectural themes.
I believe the black and white helps to emphasize
the detail and clarity in the image, by eliminating
the distractions of color.
SOUND SUPPORT
by CATHERINE TANTAPAKUL
After many different attempts and styles, this
is the illustration which I decided would be
the final illustration I would use for the Sound
Support project. It is very different from the style
which I had originally planned but it embodies
the theme of contrast better than I had
anticipated the others would. I kept the idea the
same: it is a music festival in Japan which raises
money for recovery relief of natural disasters,
specifically tsunamis; hence the beach.
10 11

TWO LOVERS
by ALEXIS LOKE
In this piece, I wanted to experiment with a
mixture of both oil and acrylic paint. I was
inspired by both Ana Santos and Cristina Troufa,
and attempted to capture their essence in
this piece with the use of negative space to
punctuate the composition and use highlights
and shadows to bring out the features in their
faces.
STREET
by RUNRAD PATHOMSAK
Learning from the work of artist Jon Shaw, I have
developed new skills such as using watered
down acrylic on wood which I think gives a
very bold yet loose feel to the piece. Overall, I
enjoyed the process of the piece although it was
a challenge. I was able to push through and felt
that the hard work did pay off.
INTO THE LIGHT
by CELINE NINSUVANNAKUL
This piece explores the beauty of portraiture and
the importance of light to enhance the features.
Conceptually this represents the wonders of life
and light is the symbol of knowledge and beauty.
BACK IN BUSINESS
by RUNRAD PATHOMSAK
My intentions for this piece was to create a
poster that would represent the city life in
Bangkok, notify tourists that Bangkok is now back
in business after a tough lockdown time and to
showcase the brightness and vibrancy of the city
itself. I personally am very pleased with my final
outcome as it portrays all of my intentions. I am
happy with how the painting itself turned out and
how it makes a statement with its bold colours.
The typography added to it makes the poster
very friendly and inviting- which was ultimately
my goal for the viewers.
12 13

The earlier you begin, you get to
see more of these (economic)
cycles and you know how
the market reacts
- LOUISE TAECHAUBOL
“
”
16
24
32
38
LOUISE
TAECHAUBOL
DR. PAYE
SRINARONG
PORNTHEP
SRISUTTIYAN
A series of exclusive interviews with key influencers
from various career paths from stocks to music.
Read on to learn about their inspirational stories,
tips and experiences .
RUTTANUN
VILAILUCK
Photo by Inga Seliverstova from Pexels
KEY
INFLUENCERS
T H E Y O U T H F U N D
E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E
14 15

Exclusive Interview with
BY PETER PAKDEEJIT
Louise
Who is Louise Taechaubol?
How is being an investor different from being a
chronic gambler? Is there a difference between
carefully choosing bonds and going all in on
Blackjack? During my virtual sitdown with Khun
Louise Taechaubol, we discussed her lifelong
journey with stocks, from the moment she
bought her first share, some 30 years ago, to
how she manages her portfolio today. Although
it was her dream to study art, Louise decided
to study finance at the University of New South
Wales before her eventual homecoming. In the
“land of smiles”, she earned her stripes studying
Business Administration at Sasin University
before starting her career as an investment
broker for the Siam Commercial Bank, finally
taking up the mantle of Chief Investment
Officer after her family acquired Country Group
Securities. She is currently the chairwoman of
Triton Holdings, a conglomerate heavily invested
in the construction and renewable energy
industries.
1
INVESTING
1
E X C L U S I V E I N T E R V I E W
Taechaubol
17
16

Trading From an Early Age
“The first stock that I bought was
Commonwealth Bank in Australia, and
that was when I was eight years old,”
responded P Louise when asked about
her beginnings in investment. Chuckling,
she continued “I was very impressed with
the bank because I distinctly remember
my parents taking me to open my first
savings account here!” This personal
insight shows that there is no set age,
there is no set formula to start investing.
Khun Louise insists that aspiring
investors should start as early as possible;
“Every eight to ten years there will be
a major crisis or a major boom market;
these come once in a while. Within these
cycles, if you begin earlier, you get to
see more patterns and understand how
the market reacts. You will know which
stocks will rebound the fastest and which
industries are the safest. You won’t panic
as much, you’ll know when to buy back
and you’ll know when to cut losses.
This is why I recommend starting young.”
By investing earlier, you also gain mental
toughness and a conviction that the
markets will rebound; therefore stopping
you from panic selling.
Read as many books as you can!
Study the markets and the historical
data, background and context of the
markets and the economic cycles;
why the market appreciated,
and why it became depressed.
- Louise Taechaubol
18 19

Tips for Beginners
When asked about top tips for beginners,
Khun Louise replied “Read as many
books as you can! Study the historical
data and the context of the markets
during different economic cycles. Learn
why the market appreciated, and how
it became depressed.” The autopilot
recommendation would be Peter Lynch’s
book One Up on Wall Street which
explores different strategies for individual
investors.
Furthermore, Khun Louise also
recommends to “look at the graph of
every stock, look at the financial cycles,
get out the financial statements, and
calculate ratios. Whether it be from
five years ago or one year ago, gather
everything you can find on the company.
Guide for parents
“I think there should be some guidelines on what you can talk about with your kids in
terms of giving them research, good research,” said P Louise when asked about parental
guidance. “Feed information to them directly. Sometimes, books are not as up to date as
research from think tanks and research houses; bring up this research with your kids. Do
you agree or disagree with the analyst’s opinions and why? I think there should be some
guidelines, otherwise, it’s pretty much just picking up a needle in a haystack. There’s just
so much to choose from in the stock market!”
TOP MATERIALS TO READ
The Intelligent Investor: Benjamin Graham
One up on wall street: Peter Lynch
The Essays of Warren Buffet
Financial reports and Think Tank Essays!
Calculate everything; is it in the right industry, is the management team decent? And you
will have your answers right in front of you.” This might sound overwhelming for potential
investors, however, financial statements are relatively simple (and dare I say repetitive.)
There are some few key ratios that will need to be calculated such as P/E (share price /
earnings per share) and PE/G (price /earnings to growth ratio) etc., however, the process
becomes automated with experience.
If the aim is serious investment, leaving your kids to experiment would be like “throwing
cash down the drain” as they would not know where to start. In this case parents would
have to carefully monitor the portfolio, communicate with their broker and quiz their
children on their decisions; however, if the aim is to let their kids experiment, then maybe
set up a simulator account instead of burning real cash. SETTRADE Click2Win is
perfect for that. There is no set method as every family is different.
20 21

ART GALLERY
AN ENTANGLED JAPAN
by RIE AIYAMA
I believe this piece represents the blend of culture - both traditional and modern - currently evident in
Japan. It represents the bold, graffiti-like nature of new ideas and symbols, but strongly emphasises that
it is not merely overwriting the old themes and styles, rather it is coexisting in harmony.
BANGKOK DESERTED
by CELINE (GEM) NINSUVANNAKUL
Lomography is the art of combining over-saturated colors, distortions, and unexpected prismatic effects
to create a vivid, imaginary and unrealistic effect on the image. I chose to use this editing style as I felt
that the isolation of many public places felt unrealistic, and as if it was a dream. This is really emphasized
through the vivid colors . This also goes to show the extent to which the pandemic has affected the
public, as it is almost impossible to see such a popular tourist attraction be completely empty and lonely
HUMMINGBIRD
by Jhanvi Goleccha
22 23

Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/jbbmenswear/photos/pcb.10158755680532460/10158755680462460/
SELF MADE SUCCESS
AT 24 :
PROOF THAT
AGE IS JUST
A NUMBER!
Insight into entrepreneur
Ruttanun Vilailuck’s
experiences
starting up
his own business
by SOPHIE STEVENS
For many students, the conventional career path of earning
a degree and finding employment seems like the obvious
choice. But a few seek to break this stereotype, becoming
self-made successes through original products and ideas,
without relying on the employment of others. Enter
Ruttanun (Phone) Vilailuck: upcoming Thai entrepreneur,
who at the age of 24, has started his own Michelin star
ramen restaurant.
25
24

A graduate from the International School
Bangkok, he is currently working on three
separate businesses, one of which being
his restaurant in Bangkok, Tsuta (from the
Japanese franchise). Tsuta, in the five months
since it’s opening, has been a huge success,
gathering queues of people everyday and
already making 25 million baht. This article
will provide an insight into his experiences
starting up his business, as well as advice for
future entrepreneurs.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES CAUSED
BY COVID 19
Unlike his first business “3d Food Menu” that
he made for a start up competition at 21,
Tsuta wasn’t his own original product, as it
is actually a franchise. This came with both
difficulties and benefits: a popular franchise
comes with essentially built-in marketing,
however, they often have guidelines which
can be difficult to follow when opening
overseas.
For example, one challenge Vilailuck had to
overcome was setting up his business during
Covid-19, as the franchisee couldn’t fly in to
help. “So,” he said simply, “we had to help
ourselves.” As well as the franchisor being
unable to fly to Bangkok, the normal situation
where the chef for Tsuta would fly out to
Japan for training was impossible.
For high end franchises, the chefs have to
be specifically trained to meet the standard
of the brand. The solution that they, like so
many others around the world, found: zoom
lessons. Although the situation was not ideal
and frankly “very weird”, the chef became
qualified to cook under Tsuta’s name.
Despite this extra cost, once Tsuta finally opened, it it accumulated twice
the amount of monthly revenue Vilailuck had predicted and continued
to do so until the next “wave” of Covid 19 hit Thailand. From
paying wages whilst not having opened to having offers from
Paragon, Central, and Emquartier as well, Tsuta’s bumpy
beginning is evidence of how when opening a business,
unanticipated challenges are no match for resilience.
We asked Vilailuck what advice he would give to
future entrepreneurs, and he highly recommended
that the first step to take should be to “look at your
customers and understand your product.” For small
businesses, answering the questions “Who are your
customers?” and “Why would they buy your product?”
is essential. “If you understand how your product would
sell to your customers, then you can build your business
plan.” Vilailuck explained. “In my case it was very clear. You
know Thai people love Japanese food, you know they’re into
Michelin star restaurants, and you know this restaurant is the
number one for ramen in Japan, with queues for 4 to 5 hours
everyday there.
THE FIRST STEP IN OPENING A BUSINESS
Covid related and otherwise, Vilailuck faced a
host of problems in the early stages of Tsuta;
the first lockdown in March 2020 hit right
when Tsuta was preparing to launch. Without
having sold a meal, the restaurant was forced
to furlough it’s staff. “The head chef, the semi-
head chef, the store manager, and the head
of service were very hard to negotiate with
because they were professionals and we had
hired them already,” Vilailuck elaborated. “We
had to pay around 50% of their salary from
the beginning until we opened in December,
which was a lot of money.”
Difficulties such as those are impossible to
predict, and in reality, there is very little you
can do about them except accepting the
reality in order to keep moving forwards.
People like us are very lucky that
we have the privilege to do what
we love. In the future, whoever
is reading this might have to do
something you may not love.
If you can overcome that, I think
you will grow as a person.
- RUTTANUN VILAILUCK
E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E T H E Y O U T H F U N D T H E Y O U T H F U N D
26 27

I thought that people in Thailand would be
very very happy to go there.” As a Thai born
and raised in Bangkok, Vilailuck understood
that part of the culture here is that some
Thais go to high-end restaurants as a sign
of status, so having the brand name of
Tsuta would have a big impact on getting
customers. He said that “Tsuta is for ramen
what Hermes is for bags, because it was the
first ramen restaurant that got a Michelin
star.” Understanding trends in customer
interest meant that
he could choose the
product which best
suited their interests,
and was a key element
in his success.
His understanding
also aided enormously
in marketing. Being
a franchise meant
that it already had a
good reputation, as
many Thais may have
heard of it or even
eaten there in Japan,
meaning that it had existing brand loyalty
from Thai customers. However, understanding
the culture allowed Vilailuck to cater his
marketing most effectively to customers.
Knowing that some people might use it to
show status meant that he realised they
might want to share that they have been
there on social media. A small detail like
having a signature plate with truffle slices
on it, makes Tsuta “very intagrammable”.
So, not only did it add an incentive to go to
the restaurant, but resulted in constant free
marketing.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSISTENCE IN
SUCCESS
With a travel blog and ramen restaurant, it
seemed that Vilailuck had been able to create
success out of his passions.
However, when we remarked on that, he
actually said that his success came from hard
work even when he found no enjoyment in
what he was doing. “For photography at
the beginning, I hated it; I sucked at it to be
honest,” he admitted.
Forced to take an art
course at ISB, he took
photography because it
seemed like the easiest
option - but almost
failed. However, after
extensive practicing,
the second time he
took the course he
improved a lot, and
from there continued
because he started
to enjoy it. He told us,
“Once I overcame the
mindset of ‘I don’t like
this, I don’t want to do it,’ I was able to enjoy
it more. Now, it’s been my work, myhobby,
and a way I can make money.” From almost
failing the subject in highschool, he was paid
50 dollars an hour throughout university to
take photos of events, and is now hired to
visit restaurants and hotels.
A few years ago, Vilailuck was “just a kid
who didn’t have any goals in life,” living off
his parents’ money in college. But one day
he heard something that has changed his
life for the past seven years.
“I was really tired of life, really tired of
studying and I texted my dad asking him to
comfort me.” Vilailuck recounted. “And you
know what he said? Maybe some other dads
would say “Oh, it’s okay, keep fighting.” But
my dad said “Get up! I’m more tired than
you!” I’m not even joking! He said “เเค่นี้เหนื่อย
เหรอวะ เเม่งเป็ นพ่อเหนื่อยกว่าตั้งเยอะ” (Translation:
you are tired by just this? This is nothing
compared to being your dad).” When he
realised how hard his dad worked, and saw
how fortunate he was, Vilailuck changed his
attitude. “I stopped complaining, I kept going,
I worked harder, and here I am.”
He admitted to us that opening Tsuta was not
something he loved to do because of how
demanding it was. Everyday, from opening till
closing, Vilailuck stands by at the restaurant
in case something happens that needs to
be taken care of. It’s not something that is
enjoyable for him, but he said that even so, he
takes responsibility and does the best that he
can. Whether in business or in life, Vilailuck
believes that “if you do that, once you get
a chance to do the things that you love, I’m
sure you’ll do them much better and try even
harder.”
Although we all wish that we were able to do what we loved all the time, the chances are, it will
take time and hard work to get that position. “I think some people are mistaken in thinking that
we always have to do what we love,” he told us. “In reality sometimes you have no choice.
Some staff here (at the restaurant) are earning 12,000 a month, do you think they want to work in
a restaurant like this? Probably not, they probably want to own their own business. People like us
are very lucky that we have the privilege to do what we love. In the future, whoever is reading this
might have to do something you may not love. If you can overcome that, I think you will grow as a
person.”
Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/jbbmenswear/
photos/pcb.10158755680532460/10158755680462460/
29
28

CLASSROOM CHAOS
by Wei-Hsuan (Cheyenne) Lu
The theme of my project was ‘Capture’. With such a vague prompt, it was quite difficult for me to select
just one idea. However, it also gave me a lot of space and freedom to create a final piece that I would
be satisfied with. I chose to ‘capture’ a normal day at school. Throughout the entirety of my GCSE
course, I had studied an artist called ‘Lampu Kansanoh’ several times, which I chose to take inspiration
from for my final piece of Year 11. I simply wanted to capture elements of my day to day life within the
boundaries of a canvas.
HORIZON
by CATHERINE TANTAPAKUL
This is my design for a magazine front cover. This cover
would also work well as a poster because the text is very
bold and large. The magazine cover, I think, manages to
reflect the vibrant atmosphere of a festival. I also tried to
elude to it being an event with lots of different activities
using the content on the cover e.g. Top 10 classical songs
turned trap - which should give the reader the idea that
the there will be different genres of music available.
JAWS
Two are painted in the centre of as they are
supposedly ‘eaten’ by the imaginary shark. The
expression on their faces presents their ‘fear of
being eaten’ in a imaginative childish manner.
COMMISION PORTRAIT 002
This piece was a commission artwork. It presents
a man raising his glass in celebrationn of his
successes.
STUDENT ART GALLERY
30 31

HOW MUSIC
CHANGED MY LIFE
An exclusive
interview with
Dr. Paye Srinarong
by PETER PAKDEEJIT
Could parents’ misguided desire for their
children to learn music lead to unwarranted
pressure at too young an age? As an
international student studying music, I have
often wondered whether those solitary
hours spent practicing, or dozing in musty
lecture halls were justified; did they net me
anything other than a fancy diploma for the
appendix of my CV? Nevertheless, during my
conversations with Dr. Page, we agreed that
learning music helps students develop certain
worthwhile attributes: time management,
attention to detail, leadership skills and the
ability to network.
33
32

Studying music also develops leadership skills,
teaching students to function in a society
and learning how to be held accountable.
One such example is membership in Paye’s
orchestra - the Thai Youth Orchestra or TYO.
“You are exposed to other parts of society
and build empathy with your peers. It takes
you further than just a very good education.
You learn people skills, to develop your
voice, to become a better leader. You learn
LEADERSHIP AND NETWORKING
LEADERSHIP AND NETWORKING
to network.” As a member of this orchestra,
I have been introduced to some of my best
friends, whom come from Thai schools, that I
wouldn’t have met otherwise. Travelling with
them 24/7, across continents, jumping from
one concert hall to another, we have been
able to form a sort of bond that I’m extremely
grateful for. Some of my best memories
include running around Alicante at midnight
or getting lost on the trams in Tokyo!
The experience of being in such an orchestra
also instills discipline; my peers and I have
often been bashed for sloppiness, tardiness
and incompetence; all character traits that I’m
glad to have out of my system. This discipline
allows you to “lead by example,” as you are
constantly on top of your game. Being a
prepared leader, who has rehearsed all the
content, earns trust, reinforces legitimacy
and makes your peers more willing to follow
TIME MANAGEMENT
Music and time management always go
hand in hand; a psychedelic cram session of
Mahler the night before a major concert is
neither ideal nor healthy. Music teaches you
how to avoid nightmare situations through
prioritization. “Even when you relax, you
should remain disciplined,” says Dr. Paye. “If
it’s time to play COD (call of duty), play COD
and do your damn best to win. Forget about
chemistry or football or violin. You don’t want
to be on holiday thinking about Bach!” This
method of prioritising certain goals whilst
eliminating multi-tasking, a sort of “work
hard, play harder approach” can increase
productivity by up to 40%. Furthermore, this
mindset can be utilized in different subjects,
be it making flashcards for biology or shooting
practice before the finals. In practice, with this
systematic “one project at a time” mentality, I
finish work faster therefore netting more free
time.
“Today is the age of information:you can
access everything at the tip of your fingers,
but I feel like people know less; they’re
exposed to too many un necessary things,”
says Dr. Paye, whilst showing me his vinyl
collection, the relics of a world long past. We
echoed the sentiment that studying music
does allow people to focus more on their
surroundings. To have more “sati”. Being
engrossed in a world of sound does allow
you to block out the distractions of the 21st
century world “be it snapchat, discord, or
your ex-girlfriend trying to facetime you.” said
Paye sarcastically. This means your attention
to detail increases significantly, whether it be
through copying finger markings or studying
technical graphs and balance sheets. It
doesn’t even have to be intensely studying
scores, just listening to Lauv whilst working
can eliminate interference, allowing you “to
be in the zone” and increase productivity.
FOCUS
your lead; you also become more confident.
I’ve learnt that this leadership, discipline and
confidence can be applied to every facet
of life, be it in school presentations, board
pitches and, of course, during concerts.
34 35

TODAY IS THE AGE OF INFORMATION:
YOU CAN ACCESS EVERYTHING AT THE TIP OF
YOUR FINGERS,
BUT I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE KNOW LESS;
THEY’RE EXPOSED TO TOO MANY UNNECESSARY
THINGS,
- DR. PAYE SRINARONG
In conclusion, studying music has some very real benefits, be it through increasing
concentration, encouraging a more efficient work ethic and prioritising; as well as forging
new connections along with building confidence and leadership skills. The study of
music can propel students to new highs, as it allowed Dr. Paye to climb the social ladder;
he now holds a C-suite position in the mattress company Hilker; is editor in chief of the
watch magazine QP, and has performed in all seven continents, even having the honor of
being invited to play in the White House by President Bill Clinton himself. Studying music
is not a waste of time as long as you are in it for the right reasons.
BENEFIT OF MUSIC
37
36

“Tutoring should not be
spoon feeding because
this completely reverses
the learning culture of
international schools. But
rather, they should invoke
critical thinking and
understanding.”
- Pornthep Srisuttiyan
THE MOST
EFFECTIVE WAY
TO MAXIMIZE
LEARNING
FROM ONLINE
CLASS
The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively cleared up all music, sports and outdoor activities from
our schedule, leaving us with hours of free time on our hands. However, due to the relatively
easy nature of online school, many of us find ourselves binge watching the latest Netflix show
or spending hours scrolling through Instagram, allowing days and nights to carelessly pass by.
This has left most of us “devoid of study goals and motivation”, as quoted by Kru A, which can
quickly accumulate into a problem once exam day rolls around, especially with harder courses
such as IB and A Levels. Hence, today, based on our interview with Pornthep (Kru A) Srisuttiyan,
founder of EPA International Academic Center, we will be discussing how you can utilize the
extra time on your hands to maximize your academic performance in online school.
WHO IS KRU A
With over 25 years of teaching experience, our interviewee, Pornthep Srisuttiyan, or widely
known as Kru A, is an educational savant, specializing in private tutoring and academic coaching
students to excellence and success. However, his vision goes beyond teaching. Since founding
EPA International Academic Center, he has encountered a diverse range of students with ages
ranging from 11 years old all the way to MBA level, which caused him to change what he defined
as ‘success’. Rather than just merely ‘spoon feeding’ knowledge’ to his students, his various
teaching and counseling programs at EPA aim to equip students with the right study skill set to
flourish in whatever career path they choose to embark on in the future.
Exclusive interview with an education expert
BY: CELINE (GEM) NINSUVANNAKUL
38 39

STUDY SKILLS
“The first aspect of acing online school comes from developing an efficient study routine”
responded Kru A, when asked about the secret to straight A’s during online school.
He emphasizes the importance of independent learning in achieving academic success, stating
that it is ‘simply not enough’ to rely on notes from class without further consolidation. After
25 years of teaching and mentoring, Kru A believes he has found the optimal study routine to
maximize academic success. And luckily for you, he had decided to share it with us during our
exclusive interview with him. The steps are as follows:
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved it until I set him free.” A quote by the esteemed artist,
Michaelangelo, which simulates Kru A’s vision with EPA: to create the best learning environment
to help students reach their full potential in their future career ventures.
1) Creating revision notes - Once you have
gone over the content, create revision notes
to consolidate your knowledge. These should
be as concise and comprehensive as possible,
and include key concepts and diagrams,
which you can quickly revise before an exam.
Difficult past papers and mark schemes
should also be added to these notes.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT TUTOR
External tutoring can help maximise results from this study cycle. By textbook definition, tutoring
is defined as a private teacher who teaches a single student or a small group of students. Of
course, tutors can help fill the gap in a student’s understanding, by providing specialised support
tailored towards the student’s individual needs. This helps assist students in studying ahead
of the syllabus and consolidating difficult concepts. Kru A, however, believes that this only
covers half a tutor’s job, by expanding that a tutor should also act as a mentor and a source of
motivation, by guiding students to help establish their own independent study routine which, in
the long term, is sustainable and can be applied to the next stages in higher education such as
college.
“Tutoring should not be spoon feeding because this completely reverses the learning culture of
international schools. But rather, they should invoke critical thinking and understanding.”
- explained Kru A when asked about a private tutor’s role in assisting students.
In this era of online learning, your study habits can prove pivotal in achieving maximum
academic success. While it is not necessary, Kru A advises students to consider external
tutoring to help guide them through the challenges of online learning.
2) Practice questions - These come in two
forms: questions from the textbook and
past papers. Practice questions are crucial
in consolidating knowledge and developing
exam technique, as it is a form of active
learning which helps your brain activate
memorization and active recall during the
exam.
Want more specialized advice on tutoring and academics? Contact Kru A here:
4) External tutoring/ self learning - In this step, students
will study the textbook syllabus ahead of time, whether
this may be with an external tutor or through self learning.
The advantage of working with an external tutor is that
they are able to condense exam theory quickly. This will
give you the advantage of time, which is important as
once you encounter a difficult concept, you will have more
time to fully consolidate and understand it, making sure
you reach that 100%.
3) Re-evaluating what you did wrong - Identify the gaps
in your knowledge from the practice questions you did
wrong, by matching up these questions with an area of
the syllabus that it corresponds to. Make sure you fully
understand the markscheme; this is a crucial step in exam
preparation, as it induces critical thinking and prepares
you for all types of questions. This is where an external
tutor comes in.
40 41

FROM DISTINCTIVE ALUMNI
TO ADMISSION OFFICERS,
THIS SECTION OFFERS A RANGE OF
INTERVIEWS COVERING THE LATEST FROM
THE WORLD OF UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS.
ADMISSION
STORIES
42 43

SECRETS OF THE ILLUSIVE
UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS
PROCESS
A former
admissions officer
gives us an
insider look into
exactly how it all
works
AND RADA (SAMMY) ANURAS
Kevin Keller, former admissions officer
The ‘college admissions season’ is often
fraught with inevitable stress, worry and
hysteria for many hopeful high school
seniors. Recently, the pressure of getting
into the most selective institutions has
become overwhelming, and more and more
families are certain that the only patent to
success and happiness lies with these top
schools. But do not fret! With this interview,
former admissions officer, Kevin Keller,
shares the answers to all your admissions
queries, including his top tips on what an
ideal candidate looks like, and how you
can become a stand out applicant. He also
guides us with how to cope during the
pandemic era admissions process and even
busts a few common myths along the way.
As an admission officer, I was mainly looking
for grit and tenacity; someone who admits
they have to work hard. Something I really
appreciate is hearing about academic
challenges and how they were overcome.
The biggest thing I need to know is that if
you hit a wall, you’re not going to give up,
but persist forwards instead. Like many
other admissions officers, my motto is that
I am not admitting freshmen students,
but graduates. Therefore, I need to know
students can start and finish. Moreover, I
was looking for innovation - someone who
would give back to the university creatively,
through research, engagement in clubs
WHAT DOES AN IDEAL
CANDIDATE LOOK LIKE?
or in some other unique way. So, if you’re
involved in research, leadership or other
unique endeavors during high school, this
can be used as a good leverage point for
admissions.
FOR LIBERAL ARTS
COLLEGES:
More than anything, they want a student
who will become part of their society. There
is a lot of emphasis on how the student is
currently engaged in their community, and
how we think they are going to positively
impact our community.
Being academically capable is one thing
but they’re also looking for a certain kind of
involvement, whether it be shown through a
true love of learning, community service or
even a long-term passion about something.
Moreover, liberal arts colleges have quite a
wide scope for their education. No matter if
you’re studying chemistry or anthropology
or spanish, you’re going to be taking courses
across the whole college. Therefore, they
don’t want you to focus on one area of
interest. That’s a strong candidate.
FOR BIGGER RESEARCH
UNIVERSITIES:
Typically, they are looking for high quality
academics, coupled with the ability to persist
and be independent in large environments.
Success at a large research university takes
lots of self assurance, so naturally, we were
looking for the confidence to independently
reach out to professors, and engage with
them on a peer to peer basis. This is why
teacher recommendations are so crucial:
they show your engagement with the teacher
and how you overcame learning challenges.
Passion is also an important value. In a way,
this is quite similar to Oxbridge students,
who love their own topics of interest, but also
appreciate wider education. Hence, heavy
emphasis is based on holistic engagement,
a love of learning and being able to
demonstrate a true understanding of your
place in the world and what you can do with
your education.
A D M I S S I O N S T O R I E S E R AWA N M A G A Z I N E T H E Y O U T H F U N D
44 45

There’s so many! The main thing I would like
to tell applicants is that admissions officers
aren’t scary monsters, but in fact, they are
your biggest advocates. I don’t sit at my
desk with a big rubber stamp and gleefully
ink ‘DENY’ on all my applications like a
disney villain. The problem is there just aren’t
enough seats for everyone.
Another thing I would like to set straight is
the ‘Founder’s Trend’. People think they need
to be president of non-profit organisations,
cure cancer or be on the New York Times
to get into selective institutions. However,
from my personal experience, the most
successful applicants haven’t done anything
groundbreaking. They have just focused on
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MYTH ABOUT UNIVERSITY
ADMISSIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SET STRAIGHT?
making things better and putting their own
touch on pre-existing organisations. This is
one of the best ways of telling me that you
are an innovator and would really put your
piece on my campus. Being president of a
club isn’t what sets you apart, but it’s actually
the experiences you gained, your ideas and
what you have learnt from it that does. From
this, you not only demonstrate grit and
tenacity, but also that you can ‘learn’ - not
from a textbook or classroom setting but the
community oriented learning that is such a
huge part of the US university experience.
Don’t get me wrong, if you are really
compelled to start a non profit, by all means
do it! However, remember that it’s not the
This always comes off rather hardcore, but
I always tell students to avoid the 3 D’s -
death, divorce and disease. Everybody wants
to write about it if they’ve experienced it. If
you’ve twisted your ankle and that ruined
your soccer career, or if your parents got
divorced and you’re basically telling me a
narrative story. It’s depressing, and most
importantly, it doesn’t tell me anything
about you. You can say one line, like “my
grandmother passed away”, but spend the
rest of the time telling me what you learnt
from that event. How did you move forward?
What did you do as a result? What’s your way
of dealing with grief? It’s all about choosing
a suitable angle to write them from. You have
no idea how many times I sat in front of my
laptop and cried over an admissions essay -
which is completely unnecessary and won’t
increase your chances of acceptance!
Another pet peeve of mine is your reaction
to questions during an interview. Towards the
end, when I ask what questions the student
has for me, answering with ‘I don’t know’
just demonstrates zero interest. It would
seem to me, if you were the slightest bit
interested, to at least have checked out the
website and come up with a few questions
beforehand. Not many people know this, but
demonstrated interest is a crucial part of
your consideration. Everytime you open an
email, how many links you click within that
HOW HAS COVID-19
IMPACTED THE ADMISSIONS
PROCESSES?
In terms of Standardised
testing:
The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a
catalyst for change in many ways, especially
in terms of standardised testing. Even before
the pandemic, there were already pre-
existing arguments against these tests as
they are more biased towards the privileged
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR
APPLICATION PET PEEVES?
title of ‘founder’ that makes you stand out,
it’s what you did within that club to make it
better. That’s what really makes a difference
in your application narrative.
email, how many times you email them, how
many times you call, visit - all these can be,
and sometimes are, tracked and monitored
by that university’s admissions team.
Photo by Laura Stanley from Pexels
A D M I S S I O N S T O R I E S
46 47

SECRETS OF
THE ILLUSIVE
UNIVERSITY
ADMISSIONS
PROCESS
Photo by Olenka Sergienko from Pexels
echelons. As the SATs or ACTs aren’t linked to
a specific curriculum like the IBs or IGCSES,
there is really no preparation in a high school
setting, thus exasperating the issue of equity
and access. During the pandemic, many
universities are going ‘test optional’ or even
‘test blind’ as students, globally, could not
physically sit an exam. Nearing the end of
the first ‘covid era’ admissions cycle, it is
interesting to see an increase in diversity,
especially in first generation students.
This happened as a result of the dwindling
importance of standardised testing, causing
admissions officers to make unconventional
decisions, never seen before in previous
cycles.
However, popular universities such as the
UCs or Ivy Leagues have seen their number
of applicants explode this year. Having one
less metric to gage your ‘fit’ has caused
applications to be more competitive, as
without the SAT, students are ‘putting their
hat in the ring and taking more chances’.
This means students are applying to ‘reach’
schools that they usually would not with
their respective SAT scores. Certainly, the
pandemic has impacted standardised testing
significantly; however, it’s still too early to
say whether this impact is mainly positive or
negative, as we have only gone through one
pandemic ‘cycle’.
In terms of university selection:
One of the most difficult things, from a
student’s perspective, is not being able to
meet with university representatives face
to face. Unfortunately, even once borders
reopen, universities may not see the value
of these interactions anymore, as they can
be done digitally without the cost of travel.
From a college counselor point of view, I’ve
seen the number of ‘digital university fair’
attendees drop significantly, but I totally get
it if you’re not interested. Zoom fatigue is
real!
On the flipside, not having the ability to visit
university campuses has also changed the
whole groundwork for how students make
decisions on university suitability. I mean,
students from the most recent admissions
cycles are essentially taking a huge leap of
faith and applying to places that they’ve only
experienced via photos or videos. I think it
also scares universities that students aren’t
getting the chance to interact in the same
way that they normally would, so it will be
interesting to see how universities react in
the foreseeable future too.
In terms of shifting importance
to essays and interviews:
Of course, because of the cancellation
of standardized testing, universities are
shifting their focus to other aspects of the
application, and putting more pressure on
the list of 10 activities that you have on that
page, as well as your personal statement
essay. Also, there’s obviously going to be
less leniency with meeting a university’s
expected/average GPA, due to the increased
selectivity. For some liberal arts colleges,
the interview has perhaps become more
important, as it gives admissions officers a
better idea of who you are as a person, and
how you’re going to react to their academic
environment - things you cannot get from
mere grades.
49
48

HERE ARE SOME OF MR. KELLER’S TOP TIPS!
1. If you see an opportunity to get in front of an
admissions officer for an interview, DO IT!
I know from first hand experiences that some applications may not look as exciting in
writing so I wouldn’t really know how to advocate for the student during committee
discussions. However, meeting face to face with applicants can help you pull out their
leveraging points a bit more. I totally get that some students aren’t good at articulating in
writing, so an interview is the best way to show me where your strengths lie.
2. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH
When college counselors say this, we really do mean it! Especially for STEM students!
Find connections between your area of interest and how it can be linked to the university
you want to apply to. For example, a prospective biology major may engage in research
during high school and a professor at a certain university may be doing something similar.
Demonstrating this connection could show that you’re a great fit. These are little snippets
that you can mention somewhere in your application or interviews that will make you
a standout applicant. To me, it really demonstrates your suitability when answering the
question that universities frequently ask - ‘why us?’.
4. Work experience
doesn’t matter as much
as you think
Work experience has never been crucial
to the US system. It’s good for gaining
maturity and experience but it’s not a
vital part of your application. With a
liberal arts style education, we don’t
expect students to know exactly
what they want to study, unless they
are applying to very career oriented
courses, such as engineering. Work
experience was more of a British thing,
but nowadays, even the UK universities
(with exception of medicine courses)
have lowered its importance due to
lack of access during COVID 19 times.
Alternatively, they prefer subject
related reading and supercurriculars.
You could perhaps allocate more time
towards meaningful extracurriculars
and start them early, as admissions
officers want to see commitment, and
the development of a project over a
long period of time. That’s why the
Common App makes you fill in details
on how many weeks per year you do
something, so the admissions officers
can have an idea of the amount of
effort you put into each activity. It may
be worthwhile to keep a weekly blog
of how many hours you spend on each
activity, as it can greatly save time
when filling in your application.
3. Stuck on what
extracurriculars to do?
Start by being self
aware.
What I mean by this is that self
awareness leads to an idea that
eventually sparks into a plan of action.
Be aware of the opportunities around
you, where you think you’ll be the most
useful and where you can
cultivate the most ideas. While the
pandemic has limited outdoor activity,
it doesn’t mean we should have a fixed
mentality that all opportunities are
closed. Join an
online course, blog, advocate, design,
build - think of a verb and do it, really.
After visiting a nursing home and
learning about the limited dexterity
caused by Parkinson’s disease, one
of my students put her computing
talents and ingenuity to work. From
this, she developed an application that
would assist healthcare providers in
the therapy of folks with Parkinson’s.
Her mentality of identifying problems
and solutions is a key skill admissions
officers are looking for, as it
demonstrates the ability to maximise
available resources. That’s the kind of
stuff that will make you stand out, the
self awareness to innovate, develop and
be creative!
50 51

A STANDFORD
STUDENT S
ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO COLLEGE
ADMISSIONS
Your step by step guide to
overcoming the challenges of
college admissions from an Ivy
League student
AND WEI-HSUAN (CHEYENNE) LU
It is often a high school student’s dream to get accepted
to one of the prestigious Ivy League universities. Actually
accomplishing this, however, is easier said than done, and is
often still a mystery to parents and students to this very day.
Enter Chawin Asavasaetakul, who did the ‘impossible’, and
fought his way into the Stanford class of ‘24. In this short and
informative guide, he offers exclusive top tips and advice on
the admissions process, including the steps you should take
in order to become a successful, stand out applicant.
53
52

1. BEFORE THINKING ABOUT
ANYTHING ELSE, MAKE SURE
YOUR IB GRADES ARE GOOD
2. BUILD GOOD
RELATIONSHIPS WITH AT
LEAST TWO TEACHERS
It is true that universities want well rounded individuals involved in different extracurriculars and
service projects, but school grades should always be your number 1 priority. In the top universities,
admission officers filter out viable candidates through school grades, before actually sitting down
and reading your application. Hence, it is very important that your grades are up at the top to
even be considered at the top schools. This obviously comes with hard work: there is no other
way around it. Sometimes, you will have to give up hobbies you enjoy and temporarily hold off
extracurriculars for revision.
Don’t forget that a significant part of
your application depends on the letter of
recommendations from your subject teachers.
Building good relationships with your
teachers will allow them to expand on your
3. PUSH YOURSELF TO
EXPLORE YOUR PASSIONS
OUTSIDE OF THE
CLASSROOM
4. TRY TO BE UNIQUE
Competitive schools don’t just look for
‘smart’, or ‘well-rounded’ students, but a
variety of interests in their student body.
Doing something unique as a hobby or
extracurricular will help you stand out from
other candidates, and help boost your
application. It could even be something as
strange as winning the National Thailand
worm breeding competition or being a
professional paper carver! As long as these
activities display your passions, universities
will get a better sense of your character and
personality, making you a stand out applicant.
This will unknowingly lead to building meaningful extracurriculars. Getting involved in clubs,
internships and work experience can be a good starting place to explore your passions, which
will also help you determine what field of work you are actually interested in. Furthermore,
work experience doesn’t have to mean getting an internship or a job. It can also mean starting
something yourself. You want to open a restaurant in the future? Why not try selling your food
online first. You want to become a writer? There’s no reason why you can’t start writing now.
academic accomplishments and strengths as an individual in their letters of recommendation. To
universities, this will paint an overall better picture of your potential and character, and strengthen
your application.
54 55

5. COLD CALLING OR EMAILING PROFESSORS ACTUALLY
WORKS
6. THERE IS NO PERFECT
FORMULA
Finding internships may be more difficult at a high school level than at a college level but it is
not impossible. Contrary to popular belief, cold calling or emailing people you want to work with
actually works. A lot of people find this daunting as they are scared of rejection but the reality is
that most people are nicer and more willing to help than you think. Reaching out first also displays
initiative and eagerness, making it more likely that they will accept your internship request.
There tends to be a lot of talk surrounding
what a good application looks like. In these
conversations, people give blanket statements
like “universities don’t like it when you do too
many activities” or “universities want people
who pursue both music and sport”, which are
not always true.
Every application is unique in its own way
and every university has different people
reading the application. Therefore, there is
no point in forcing yourself to do activities
you are not interested in because at the end
of the day, your activities should display your
passions and initiative: this is what matters
to admission officers. If you’re struggling to
stay afloat with sports, SAT prep, and extra
AP classes you don’t care about, you’re only
hurting yourself by damaging your mental
and physical wellbeing; consider dropping
these activities.
7. PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE
8. START EARLY
The key to acing standardized tests
such as SATs and ACTs is practicing past
papers. It is the best way to get familiar
with the testing style and rapid speed
of standardized testing, especially if
you are not used to multiple choice
style questions. From these practice
tests, you will also be able to identify
your strengths and weaknesses, as it is
important to find the review strategy
that best fits you. Along the way, you
will start to learn small tips and tricks on
managing time and double checking
that will naturally be picked up as you
practice more tests.
The earlier you can start getting involved
in extracurricular activities, the better.
Universities want to see commitment
and continuity of your extracurricular
activities over a long period of time.
While you may not be eligible for
internships and work experience, if you
are a freshman or sophomore, you can
start by joining clubs and after school
activities related to your field of interest.
Also, starting early would mean that
you have more time in your junior and
senior years (Year 12 and 13) to focus on
your school grades and preparing your
application.
56 57

Palis (Fresh)
Pisuttisarun on
getting that Harvard
acceptance whilst still
staying authentically
true to himself
BY: RADA (SAMMY) ANURAS
What do drag queens, origami animals and contemporary quantum physics have in common?
Well, they were all a part of Fresh’s personal essay that got him into one of the most prestigious
schools in the US, Harvard (yes, the one with a 5% acceptance rate). Currently pursuing an
interdisciplinary path called ‘Mind Brain and Behaviour’ (connecting computer science,
psychology, philosophy, and linguistics), Fresh’s witty humour and iconic quotes not only tell
the story of how he got there but gives us readers more insight into how we can reach our
respective aspirations too.
I applied Early Action to Stanford University—
it was the very first university I submitted my
application to, during mid-October. It had
been my dream school since Year 10, so I
knew without a doubt I would apply there.
During the regular round for the US, I applied
to Harvard University. Honestly, I didn’t see
Harvard as a dream school but thought it was
quite prestigious so I kind of wanted to prove
to myself I could do it.
“THINK OF CHOOSING
UNIVERSITIES LIKE FINDING
SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. DON’T
SETTLE, BE PICKY AND FIND OUT
EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT
THEM BEFORE APPLYING”
A ‘FRESH’
PERSPECTIVE
ON UNIVERSITY
APPLICATIONS
I’m quite lucky that I didn’t have to apply to as many schools since I got into my Early round
college. If I hadn’t, I would have definitely applied to some other schools in the Ivy League and
perhaps even some small liberal arts colleges in the US! One of my regrets is not applying to
some of these while I had the chance, because I had felt so settled on Stanford. In hindsight, it
would have been nice to have other choices too!
59
58

I honestly just sat alone with my thoughts for
a few hours with a piece of paper and wrote
down all the mental dots that connected.
There were many things that I believe
captured me as a person—my philosophical
curiosity, my passion in gender-related
activism, my creative expression, my unique
perspective on STEM, etc. However, I never
concocted these elements of my identity
into a coherent narrative before. It felt quite
daunting to do so!
“ESSAY WRITING 101 -
STARE AT A BLANK PIECE OF
PAPER UNTIL YOU START TO
MAKE LINKS … I’M SERIOUS!”
My tips for choosing a university is to
consider the experience, the opportunities,
and the community. Your academic
experience depends so much on your fit
at the institution as a person. Do you value
exploring a wide range of fields or would
you rather focus on one? Consider the
opportunities too. Would you like access to
rich research, pre-professional, or creative
opportunities? Then, consider the community.
Do you like big or small classes? Do you
fit in better at a high-energy or laid back
atmosphere?
My US personal essay was inspired by the parallel I saw in contemporary quantum physics and
gender theory. I based my essay on my personal experience with the art form of drag—how I
believe being a drag queen allowed me to truly embody the complex laws of physics governing
our reality. I talked a lot about how physicists and gender activists share a common view that
many overlook.
For my other essays, I’ve written about completely different things—some totally random! I wrote
a lot about origami and how paper-folding symbolizes the nature of human imagination; I wrote
about how engineering is a form of activism and what it means to reengineer our societal values;
I even wrote about keeping pet parrots as a child!
“WHAT DO ADMISSIONS
OFFICERS LOOK FOR? INTEREST,
INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL
DIVERSITY”
Universities love it when you are passionately
curious about a subject! For me, I would
say it was my entrepreneurial ventures,
my unconventional views of STEM and
activism that helped me stand out from
other applicants. I also think my intellectual
diversity helped a lot. If anything, I was glad
that I didn’t spend the last few years doing
what others expected of me or told me I
needed to do (in other words, checking
boxes on a list). Instead of doing a sport,
playing an
instrument or joining a club, I was confident
enough to create my own boxes and I think
that really paid off. So, only decide to do
things if you truly enjoy them.
One of the most important things to
showcase is that you are truly and
authentically yourself. I think the admissions
officers who read my application knew that
and believed in the voice and charisma I
represented. I never conjured up a mirage
of perfection because the truth is, I’m not
perfect at all - check my athletics score!
Recently, I got to read my admissions file,
and in hindsight, I was surprised at how much
they enjoyed my essay (they basically said
I’m a gay icon!) and how generously they
rated my letters of recommendation—seems
like my teachers
really sold me! My biggest piece of advice is
to just wear your heart on your sleeve and
the right admissions officers will believe in
you!
What admissions officers don’t solely focus
on are your grades or SAT/ACT scores. What
I will say is, numbers don’t matter as much
as you think they do. Admissions officers are
mostly looking to evaluate your achievements
in the context of your personal trajectory.
60 61

“FIND A PERSONAL MENTOR
BUT DON’T DEPEND SOLELY ON
THEM”
“STUDYING ISN’T YOUR
MAIN EXTRACURRICULAR!”
“I think the need for external counselors
really depends on the individual student’s
needs, ambition, and originality. Most
people I know believe that an extremely
valuable source of support and feedback is
an experienced, older student ‘mentor’ who
has been through the university application
journey! This can be an older sibling or
a friend in the year above. Being able to
learn from their personal experience and
knowledge is a brilliant way to guide your
own application, and their feedback can
greatly improve your strategy and approach.
The most helpful tip I have for balancing
everything is to clearly divide time you
spend on IB versus extracurriculars,
perhaps using an app, and practicing
the discipline to follow through with
this. Don’t let the IB dominate your life—
remember, that academics are only one
part of your application.
I believe that if you’re passionate
enough about your extracurriculars,
you should have no trouble in finding
the time and motivation to engage with
your activities and projects. If that’s not
the case, I would consider reforming
your set of activities. This should be
informed by deep and honest reflection
of your own interests and passions.
So it matters less how well you do compared to others, and matters more how well you do
compared to yourself yesterday. Aim high, of course, and work hard! However, don’t be insecure
or put off by a few lower-than-hoped for numbers, because all people become disappointed at
some point but eventually end up somewhere they love.
In fact, I believe so much in the power of having a personal mentor that I’m currently dedicating
much of my time to mentoring younger students in their application journeys. If you’re interested
in receiving guidance and mentorship from an experienced and successful older student, I’m
more than happy to set up a time to chat! Shoot me an email at fresh.palis@hotmail.com.”
I also want to emphasize that you should study smart, not study hard! Find studying habits and
methods that work for you and experiment with different styles of studying. Make sure you
find enough time for relaxing too. Even when relaxing, try to relax with a purpose. Be like, “I’m
gonna spend this next 1.5 hours watching Netflix,” and go for it! Don’t spend 1.5 hours awkwardly
scrolling through your phone, flicking through revision notes, and watching a show. You won’t
get much out of studying and won’t enjoy the show—instead, spend your time with purpose and
precision!
62 63

A STUDY IN CLAIRVOYANCE
by YEWON KIM
I think when I chose to study Francis Bacon as an
artist, I was also aware of the fact it would give
me an opportunity to portray vulnerabilities and
struggles of my own life more explicitly without
having to give numerous justifications or feel like
the embodiment of angst. I still wanted for my
piece to pertain to the theme of isolation, and to
pertain to the audience while still being personal
and honest about my depictions.
LOVELESS
by YEWON KIM
I was inspired mostly by My Bloody
Valentine’s “When You Sleep” and the cover of
the Loveless album, because I feel as though
through the distorted and obscured, yet simple
visuals of the album, loneliness and a pervading
dreamlike quality persistently bleed through to
the audience, even before listening to the music.
This was the exact feeling I wanted to recapture
in my painting. Another narrative inspiration for
me was the Manga “Hanging Balloons” by Junji
Ito. A story in which following a girl’s suicide a
balloon of her face appears in the sky and a
myriad of strange phenomena occur, with other
balloons of human faces follow in the same
fashion.canvas.
OLD CAR
by GRACE SINTAVANARONG
A study inspired by the work of Jon Shaw. To create this piece, I went over the acrylic
paint with Shaw’s signature object ink-lining style. Overall I think that this technique is very pleasing
to the eyes as it creates depth. When creating my final project piece, I will definitely use this technique.
ART GALLERY
ALONE TOGETHER
by YEWON KIM
I am a big fan of the films of Wes Anderson.
In this piece I attempted to use similar
compositional devices to depict a scene
involving two characters in close proximity
but in isolation from each other as a result of
Social Distancing. I echoed this sentiment with
the inclusion of ‘The Kiss,’ by Kustave Glimt. I
decided to split up the embracing couple to
place as ‘posters’ on the shelves so that the
theme of isolation and loneliness would be
enhanced; Instead of embracing each other, they
are embracing the empty space of their lovers
with other elements, such as flowers.
64 65

PASSION,
PROSE
AND
PROJECTS
Thissectionofthemagazinefeatures
articles from student submissions
thatexpresstheirpersonalinterests.
From agriculture to science,
“PASSION, PROSE AND PROJECTS”
brings together a diverse range of
students, and gives them a platform
to express their passions.
Photo by Leah Kelley from Pexels
67
66

SUBSISTENCE
FARMING :
IN WHAT WAYS
DOES IT LEAD TO
GROWTH?
By GILES KINSELLA
Iwould like to start off this article
by prefacing that this was not written
by a professional and should not be
used for your own research purposes;
the majority of the article consists of
my own interpretations. To find the
following information yourself, please
find the bibliography below.
Living in Thailand, we are no strangers
to agriculture and its impact. Whether
that be: on our own health; the health
of the surrounding environment; or on
the economy; agriculture has an impact
to a certain degree.
However, agriculture as a whole is
a large topic, and this article will be
focusing on one aspect. Subsistence
farming. This is the growth of food
by farmers only to meet their own
needs, with little or no surplus for sale.
Located near to the equator, with an
average annual humidity of 79.9%,
temperatures averaging 34 degrees in
summer time, and fertile soil, Thailand
has the perfect conditions for growing
crops such as rice, sugarcane, corn and
various fruit, resulting in large numbers
of subsistence farmers as well as
commercial.
Photo by DoDo PHANTHAMALY from Pexels
PA S S I O N , P R O S E A N D P R O J E C T S
68 69

Another issue is dependency on climate and
weather conditions for good harvests. This
can and has many times resulted in economic
and social turmoil, using the dust bowl of
the 1930s and great Irish famine as examples
for this. However this is an issue that affects
almost all farmers whether commercial
or subsistence. The way this affects the
subsistence farmers worse is that unlike the
commercial farmers, the food grown is for
their own consumption. Without money to
fall back on such a problem has potentially
severe economic and social consequences
such as a rise in unemployment and
absolute poverty levels. Thailand especially
is becoming even more so, an agriculturally
centered economy, with an increasing
number of households moving towards
agriculture.
Starting with the effect of subsistence
farming on the economy, we can see mainly
detrimental effects. This is mostly due to
the reduced output of goods for sale on the
market. This, as well as the reduced need of
subsistence farmers to buy food themselves,
could arguably result in a double shift
inwards, both supply and demand, in markets
for agricultural products.
However, it could also be argued that the
growth of extra products for sale in the
market would be ineffectual, leading only to
excess supply. This is because the majority
of the products we buy come from large
The above graphs highlight some possible trends in development. With an increase in the
number of households most likely utilizing small scale agriculture. You can also look at the
inverse relationship between the two which can be interpreted in a few ways. One way is that
households are more likely to produce only enough to feed themselves as competition in local
markets increases. Another is that people are diversifying the food that they grow, as reduced
engagement in competition leads to reduced need for specialisation in crops.
While from the economic standpoint,
subsistence farming is inefficient and
somewhat backwards, when taking into
account environmental damage and our
health, we can evaluate different points such
as the use of agrochemicals and pesticides
in farming. Especially in larger scale farming,
but starting to occur more frequently even in
subsistence farms, the use of agrochemicals
and pesticides are becoming commonplace,
as they reduce loss of crops to pests.
The main three pesticides used consist of
herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.
However, there have always been concerns
about the effects of these pesticides on our
environment and our health.
scale commercial farms and companies, with access to technical and financial economies of
scale, with large machines and good reputability when borrowing from banks, for lower average
unit cost. With access to such reduced average unit cost, these firms can afford to engage in
price competition that these small scale households cannot keep up with. Such limitations result
in these households usually selling only in local markets or bartering for any goods that they
need, should they wish to sell any produce.
First looking at the environmental
perspective it is important to recognize
issues associated with the retention of
pesticides within soil. When there is poor
retention of pesticides they can run off
through groundwater, possibly to nearby
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
Photo by Lukas from Pexels
70 71

You may be wondering how this links to
subsistence farming specifically, and it
can be seen in a few ways. One such way
is that in a developing country such as
Thailand many of these farming households
will soon have access to agrochemicals
such as pesticide, should they not already.
With this development and propagation of
agrochemicals however, it is important that
those using them are made aware of health
risks in order to avoid harm. Failure to do
so could allegedly result in cancer, heart
disease, parkinson's disease and diabetes
to name a few. Because of these possible
risks it is always important to explore
safety procedures to follow when using
agrochemicals, or to explore alternatives
such as biological control in order to ensure
minimized damage to the environment as
well.
bodies of water, where they can impact
the local ecosystem. As well as this topsoil
erosion because of farming is widespread,
and unsustainable, as well as resulting in
increased sedimentation and water pollution
in rivers and lakes. Without the introduction
of responsible agricultural practices and
regulations, this can lead to permanent
damage and nutrient depletion. When
looking at the impact on our health on the
other hand, we can see short term adverse
effects when exposed to pesticides such
as rashes, blisters and possible blindness.
However, the more common issue is with
consumption rather than exposure, in
which case these pesticides can contain
carcinogens and other chemicals.
Sources
https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/agriculture-and theenvironment/
#:~:text=While%20negative%20impacts%20are%20serious,adoption%20of%20certain
%20farming%20pr actices., Oecd.org, “Agriculture and the environment - OECD”,
https://www.pesticidereform.org/pesticides-humanhealth/#:~:text=Pesticides%20
and%20human%20health%3A,%2C%20dizziness%2C%20diarrhea%20and%20death..
Pesticidereform.org, “Pesticides & Human Health | Californians for Pesticide Reform”
https://www.statista.com/topics/5730/agriculture-in-thailand/, Statista, “Topic:
Agriculture in Thailand”
https://www.bangkok.climatemps.com/humidity.php#:~:text=The%20average%20
annual%20relative%20humidity,January%20to%2085%25%20in%20September.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5029960/#:~:text=The%20hypothesis
%20of%20the%20possible,with%20an%20increased%20risk%20of, Silvia Gangemi,
“Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in
chronic diseases (Review)”
Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
72 73

SLEEP
TIGHT!
By PRAEWA TAYLOR
Think in the morning.
Act in the noon.
Eat in the evening.
Sleep in the night.
-– William Blake
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels
74 75

Teenagers tend to sleep either too often, or not often enough and when you
wake them, they won’t always exactly be in a desirable mood. You may dislike
this pattern of behaving after long naps and think it unreasonable as you
compare it to your own happy waking. So you think this post-nap moodiness
may just be a result of puberty and the overall common gloomy behaviour
present in most teenagers; but the truth is that it happens with everyone and will
depend on your sleep cycle.
The sleep cycle consists of four stages and will altogether average approximately
90 minutes per full cycle. The first three stages are classified as NREM (non-
Rapid eye movement) stages of sleep whilst the fourth is REM (Rapid eye
movement) sleep. These two types of sleep allow your brain to progress
sequentially through each stage.
FOUR STAGES IN THE SLEEP CYCLE
STAGE 1
is the transition from wakefulness to being
asleep. Your eye movement, heart rate
and respiration begin to slow down and
your muscles start to relax. Your body
temperature drops and your brain waves
slow.
STAGE 2
is a very light sleep where your breathing
continues to slow down and your muscles
relax further. Your eye movement stops
altogether here as your body prepares for
a deeper sleep.
STAGE 3
is where your body falls into a deep sleep.
Your heart rate and breathing are slowed
to their lowest levels in this stage while
your muscles are completely relaxed. Your
body releases repair hormones and tissue
growth and cell repair will take place in
this stage.
STAGE 4
is the REM stage of sleep and as can be
inferred from its name, your eyes will
move rapidly from side to side under
your eyelids in this stage. Your brain wave
activity has mixed frequency and gets
closer to your wakefulness state. Breathing
quickens and your blood pressure and
heart rate increase to near waking levels.
Most of your dreams occur in this stage and your muscles are paralyzed to
ensure you don’t act out your dreams. The REM stage of sleep increases in
duration as the night (your nap) goes on and since your brain processes and
synthesizes your emotions and memories in this stage, it is important to get
longer amounts of sleep.
It may seem counter-intuitive but sleeping for 6 hours will result in you feeling
more well rested and awake afterwards than if you woke from an 8 hour slumber.
This is because after 6 hours, you will likely be at the end of a sleep cycle
whereas after 8 hours, you will likely be entering stage 3 of sleep so once woken,
you will likely feel groggy and dis-orientated. Therefore, sometimes shorter naps
can result in more desirable moods when woken.
76 77

STUDY OF
GLIOBLASTOMA
MULTIFORME
BY PETER PAKDEEJIT
Here is an article that I wrote about glioblastomas for a medicine camp at the
University of Cambridge a couple of years ago; I thought the subject matter
would be interesting so enjoy!
WHAT IS GLIOBLASTOMA?
The most aggressive and potent of brain
cancers, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)
rapidly invades brain tissue and renders the
most important sections useless if left
untreated; a prognosis of under 15 months.
The most common of all malignant brain
tumors (leading grade ii-iii astrocytomas by a
healthy 24% margin), GBMs are most
commonly found in the cerebral hemisphere,
especially in the frontal and temporal lobes
of the brain. Less common locations include
other lobes, the brain stem and even the
cerebellum.
RISK FACTORS FOR GBM:
1. Age of the patient
GBMs are mostly diagnosed within patients
between 45-60 years of age, however, this is
not always the case. This is because DNA
damage accumulates over time due to
increased chance of errors during the process
of transcription and translation. Furthermore,
older age can mean higher aggregate
exposure to risk factors.
2. Exposure to radiation
From x rays and radio-therapy or even
living in a radiation-contaminated area.
This is because the radiation can damage
the human genome, possibly causing a
condition known as an unbalanced inversion,
meaning genes have been lost or duplicated,
therefore increasing the chance of abnormal
growth and rapid division of cells. Finally,
there are rare occurrences where gliomas run
in the family, however, there is lack of
evidence that GBMs are hereditary.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
78 79

Pictured are MRI scans of eight patients with
glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.
[Albert H. Kim]
TREATMENT OF GLIOBLASTOMA
With every problem there must be a solution.
The treatment of GBM can be painful and
arduous, containing many surgeries, radiation
and chemotherapeutic treatments and
physio and mental therapy. The efficacy of
each treatment plan depends on the age
and fitness of the patient as well as the size
and location of the tumor. The most invasive
course of treatment would be a craniotomy: a
surgical procedure also known as a recession,
where the skull flap would be opened in
order to perform an open-brain surgery.
Firstly, after the surgical field has been
successfully established, the surgeon will
most likely place a tube called a shunt in
the brain in order to drain liquid to reduce
the pressure inside the brain, however
this depends on the location of the brain.
For example, if the surgical field is full of
important nerves or neurons, then the
placement of a shunt might be risky and can
lead to loss of some brain functions.
Moreover, through three-dimensional
neuronavigation imaging and powerful
microscopes, the lead surgeon will proceed
to locate the tumor and detach it from any
healthy and useful brain tissue, taking care
not to damage any nerves in the process,
stitch the scalp back up, and complete the
surgery. More revolutionary equipment can
also be utilized with existing techniques. For
example, the 5-ALA chemical developed by
SYMPTOMS OF GLIOBLASTOMA
Symptoms of glioblastoma vary with
tumor size and the location of the tumor.
However, commonly reported neurological
symptoms of GBMs include headaches,
nausea or vomiting, confusion, memory loss,
lack of balance, personality changes, vision
problems and loss of function in certain parts
of the body. Such symptoms vary with the
location of the tumor and the nerves and
vessels it is pressuring. If a GBM is found in
the optic chiasm (the crossing between the
left and right optic nerves) , vision loss could
be a common symptom. However, if the GBM
is pressuring, say, a nerve in the frontal lobe,
the effects could be vastly different.
DIAGNOSIS OF GLIOBLASTOMA
There are a handful of ways in which the
tumour can be diagnosed, for example,if
the physician suspects a patient has the
signs and symptoms of a GBM (mainly loss
of function in one specific area of the brain,
chronic headaches, weight loss etc.), the
doctor could order either a CT scan or an MRI
to identify if, indeed, a tumor is the cause of
the symptoms.
In my opinion, an MRI scan would be more
beneficial to the patient long-term, as it does
not expose the patient to radiation as a CT
would, decreasing the risk of future cancers.
Furthermore, the MRI is generally viewed
Since the frontal lobe of the brain controls planning, speech and thought, a tumor located in the
frontal lobe can cause personality changes, memory loss and or slurring of speech. Therefore
the one conclusion we can definitively prove on the symptoms of cancer is that it is indefinite, as
with everything else in the world, and depends on the certain circumstances, mainly the location
and size of the tumor. Moreover, the conventional symptoms of other cancers such as night
sweats, weight loss and chronic headaches will also be present.
by physicians as a more accurate scanning method for brain tumors in particular, however,
the scanning does take more time and costs more. Therefore, the choice of screening method
depends on the suspected size and location of the tumor, along with the financial facilities of the
patient. Moreover, a surgical biopsy should be performed to certify that the mass is, indeed, a
GBM.
Cambridge University, also known as “the
pink drink”, which uses fluorescent dyes,
making the tumor glow pink, hence the name,
could be ingested by the patient, giving the
lead operating surgeon better visibility of the
boundaries of the tumor and the insight as to
whether it has metastasized (spread) or not.
Additionally, other treatments besides an
M5-ALA (gliolan) craniotomy (or any type
of craniotomy for that matter) csn be used
to perform chemotherapy or radiation
therapy treatments. The chemotherapy
weak the cancer cells, making them more
susceptible to radiation therapy, whereas the
radiotherapy will damage and kill the tumor,
thus forming a lethal 1-2 punch to eradicate
the cancer cells.
Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels
PA S S I O N , P R O S E A N D P R O J E C T S T H E Y O U T H F U N D
80 81

CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapeutic treatments are generally administered through an intravenous drip, usually
at a hospital, and has proven to be successful (47% of patients that undergo chemotherapy
survive for 5 or more years after the diagnosis according to webmd.com).
RADIOTHERAPY
Radiotherapy, however, does not just weaken the cells, but at significant doses is able to kill and
eradicate the cancer completely; at high amounts, the radiation can damage the tumor’s DNA
sequence by preventing it from dividing and multiplying, stopping it’s “growth mechanism” and
killing the cells completely. There are mainly two different types of radiotherapy, external beam
radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy.
EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY
External beam radiation therapy or EBT is a
method where high energy radiation beams
generated by an external linear accelerator
targets a specific part of the body which
contains the cancer, destroying the malign
tumor cells while leaving the healthy cells
relatively unharmed. Nowadays, EBT could
also be utilized to relieve symptoms of
advanced or metastasized (cancers which
spread to other organs within the body
through the lymph nodes) cancers.
INTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY
Internal Beam Radiation (IBR) or
brachytherapy, is a method where the
oncologist plants or inserts radioactive
materials and chemicals at the site of the
tumor, directly targeting the malignant cells.
The main side effect of IBR compared to the
EBT is that there will be constant, recurring
pain emitting from the site where the
radioactive “seeds” were planted, however,
this will disappear along with the tumor
when the treatment is complete.
ADVANTAGES
The main advantages of a chemotherapeutic
treatment is that it is extremely versatile;
it can be utilized to completely cure the
cancer (curative treatment), it could be
used in tandem with other treatments and
procedures (radiotherapy and surgery)
and could relieve the symptoms if a cure is
not possible (palliative chemotherapeutic
treatment) along with preventing further
tumors to occur.
DISADVANTAGES
However, the main disadvantage of
chemotherapy is that it can lead to patients
feeling tired all the time, feeling sick
and vomiting, losing hair, and increased
susceptibility to infections just to name a few
side effects.
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glioblastomamultiforme, “Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)”, Rohan Ramakrishna M.D, last edited: December 2017, last
accessed: July 2019
https://www.diffen.com/difference/CT_Scan_vs_MRI, “CT scan vs MRI”, last accessed: July 2019
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/symptoms, “Symptoms of Cancer”, NHS, updated: May 2019,
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CRISPR - CAS9 IN
GLIOBLASTOMA TREATMENT
If the tumor is suspected to be of little
danger to the patient’s life (rarely the case
when a GBM is diagnosed)
then the patient might
opt to undergo a more
radical and
innovative course
of treatment,
namely, utilising
Crispr Cas9.
Crispr Cas9 is
hands down the
most incredible
medical
discovery in the
20th century; if
penicillin was the
invention of the
bicycle, then
Crispr would be
the Wright
brothers mastering
the art of flight.
Crispr enables scientists to
edit the genome of a cell,
THE CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I find Glioblastomas
fascinating; they are, in a way,
much like us. They spend every
single hour, every minute, every
second fighting for their lives,
struggling to make the best out of
their situation, in a hostile habitat with multiple showers of chemo and
radiotherapy and even Crispr Cas9-infused medicines; even surgeries facing them. They struggle
to find nutrients just to survive.
Literally, the more I learn about these fascinating organisms, the more I am inspired by their
iron-unassailable resolve to live to another day, I am inspired by how they make the best of every
situation they face and it is that inspiration that will push me to perfect and master the
techniques and skills, to pursue, unearth and uncover deeper and more complicated truths that
will await me in the future in this vast endless expanse we call the world of medicine.
effectively giving them the ability to remove
or correct the sections of DNA which cause
cancer, however, that is still quite farfetched,
even for today. More logical and realistic use
of Crispr, on the other hand, is to use it to
program cytotoxic T cells, or killer t
cells, which are found in the
bloodstream, to recognise the
irregular and harmful
cancer cells and use these
T cells to kill them.
Usually, these T cells,
would mistake such
cancer cells as
healthy tissue,
however, after they
are laced with Crispr,
they will recognise the
cancer cells as foreign
and will bind to them
through membrane
receptors and release two
types of cytotoxic proteins,
causing the target cell to
undergo apoptosis or the
programmed destruction
of cells, effectively killing
the tumor systematically.
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