The current issue of CMC features a story about the College's long distance connection to Thailand, made possible through renewed commitment to Thai scholarships.
Pattaninun "Anne" Jutimasakulboworn '04 is this year's Thai scholarship recipient. Her story, below, is an online exclusive to CMC magazine.
What does it take for a student in Thailand to qualify for admission as a McKenna Scholar? Pretty much the same things expected of every other CMC student: academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and leadership potential, with a willingness to move far beyond one's comfort zone thrown in for good measure.
For Pattaninun Jutimasakulboworn '04-just call her Anne-the summer of 2002 began with little fanfare. One of Thailand's top students, an active member of Chulalongkorn University's debating club and the international relations department's student government, Anne had completed her sophomore year as an international relations major with every intention of returning in the fall. Until one of her professors told her about the Donald McKenna Scholarship.
"CMC has a good program in international relations, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience new things and learn in a new system," she said.
One essay and two interviews later, Anne, who still lived at home, found herself preparing for a move to a dorm halfway around the world, and a culture she'd experienced only through movies and television shows.
"I'd learned about American culture through the media, but it's still hard to adapt," Anne explained. "Thai people are quiet, but here people don't stop talking because they're trying to make friends all the time. In Thailand, students sit quietly in class and take notes. The professor is in control. Here, students love to present their ideas and talk about issues."
With a semester under her belt, Anne has settled in. "I've gone to L.A., on the orientation trip-that was fun. We saw Hollywood and some museums downtown, and I've visited some beaches. At some points, I still get homesick and feel like I don't belong, but there are some other Thai students here in Claremont, and there are some Thai restaurants."
The experience already has changed Anne's perceptions of the United States and her expectations for her own life. "Students here who want something just go for it. They're very smart, and that pushes me to work harder. I wouldn't have tried for this scholarship if my professor hadn't encouraged me, but being here has shown me that you have to act to be prepared for your future."
After completing her bachelor's degree at CMC, Anne hopes to pursue graduate studies in international relations here in the United States, before returning to Thailand and embarking on a career in diplomacy. "My experience at CMC will make me more marketable. I now have this international experience: what it's like to deal with different cultures, to live in different cultures."
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