1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:19,260 Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast where we dive into relevant topics and issues 2 00:00:19,260 --> 00:00:23,580 related to the world of business, technology, education, and design. 3 00:00:23,580 --> 00:00:25,600 I'm your host, Mr. Jason. 4 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,980 Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders, and inspirational stories 5 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:31,900 with an international flavor. 6 00:00:31,900 --> 00:00:35,840 This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International 7 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,840 Community School of Bangkok. 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:51,840 In today's episode, we explore the important topic of college and career preparation. 9 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,260 I'm joined by our co-host, Lion and Ronnie. 10 00:00:55,260 --> 00:01:00,780 We also welcome our special guest, Mrs. Jen, our wonderful college counselor, and proud 11 00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:03,460 you, one of our favorite seniors. 12 00:01:03,460 --> 00:01:05,060 Thank you for joining us. 13 00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:09,280 In keeping with our tradition, let's hear the quote of the day before we begin. 14 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:10,280 Thank you, Mr. Jason. 15 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,200 Today's quote is from Rachel Walken. 16 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,560 If we were meant to stay in one place, we'd have roots instead of feet. 17 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,080 University is a great way to move and learn about new cultures. 18 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,080 Here are some headlines from our news desk. 19 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,240 Currently, the Thai tourist industry is on a path to recovery. 20 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:31,300 In August, the amount of people occupying hotels rose to 47.5%, and the percentage is 21 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:33,640 expected to continue to rise. 22 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,760 Most tourists are from Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe. 23 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:42,040 In Southeast Asia, on the 18th of September, a strong earthquake hit Taiwan that was around 24 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,560 6.9 in magnitude on the Richter scale. 25 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,000 At first, there was worry of a tsunami, but later these concerns were alleviated. 26 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:55,680 In World News, according to CNBC, FedEx CEO says he expects the economy to enter a worldwide 27 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:56,680 recession. 28 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:01,880 FedEx shares fell by 15%, and FedEx missed estimates on revenue and earnings in its first 29 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:02,880 quarter. 30 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,760 Thank you for those headlines, Ronnie. 31 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:11,320 Not sure about all of you, but I'm hoping the impending recession does not reverse the 32 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,840 global economic recovery we have been experiencing since COVID. 33 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,920 Okay, onto a better topic. 34 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,840 Let's jump into part one with Mrs. Jen Ann Proud. 35 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:21,840 All right. 36 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:22,840 Okay, everybody. 37 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:24,560 Thank you very much for being on our show. 38 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:26,760 We're very glad to have you here. 39 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:32,360 Since this episode is about college and careers, our first question for Mrs. Jen is, where 40 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,000 do you go to university and what was your major? 41 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:36,880 Well, thank you so much, Lion. 42 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:42,240 I have to first say, I am a huge fan of your show, so thanks so much for having me. 43 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:47,800 In terms of college, so I guess my first bachelor's degree was in business administration at 44 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:53,880 Taylor University, which is a small private liberal arts school in Indiana. 45 00:02:53,880 --> 00:03:00,560 And then I received a master's in education at the University of Tennessee, which is a 46 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,200 large public research university. 47 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:10,660 And then more recently, I just received my certificate of counseling online with UC San 48 00:03:10,660 --> 00:03:12,760 Diego out of California. 49 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,720 So kind of three very different college experiences, but I really enjoyed them all. 50 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,400 Thank you for sharing this, Jen. 51 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,600 So what are you planning on majoring in Proud? 52 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:28,280 So as of now, I think I'm planning on majoring in bioengineering or some form of maybe biomechanical 53 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,040 or biochemistry. 54 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,440 So you chose difficult majors then. 55 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:33,440 Very good. 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:34,440 I like that. 57 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,680 Yeah, I think they were quite challenging, but I feel like it's just something that I 58 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:38,680 like doing. 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:42,480 So even though it's still challenging for me, I think I want to try that out. 60 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,320 Well, I'm sure you would change the world of that, Proud. 61 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,360 Well, obviously, selecting universities requires a lot of careful decision making. 62 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,640 That's where Mrs. Jen comes in, right? 63 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,080 And what do you think are the most important factors in choosing a university? 64 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:57,440 Yeah, great question. 65 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:03,040 So I think kind of the unique thing about the college search and decision, it's the 66 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:09,880 first time that high schoolers really have to make a big informed and independent decision. 67 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:15,360 So in my department, really what we try to do is walk alongside of them and break it 68 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:16,360 down. 69 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,920 We want them to take ownership of the decision, but we try to help them along the way. 70 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:26,360 So one way we do that is with the college search, we try to introduce the four P's. 71 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,120 So those four P's are price. 72 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,640 So thinking does this college, is it within my budget? 73 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,920 Is this working with what our family can afford? 74 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,120 The second P would be program. 75 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,560 Does it have the program that I hope to study? 76 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:41,400 The third would be place. 77 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:46,440 What country am I interested in studying in and within that country, what city and region? 78 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:51,120 And then finally, people would be the fourth P and that's who do I know that attends this 79 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,120 school? 80 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,280 Are there any alumni that I can connect with and who will be my community on campus? 81 00:04:57,280 --> 00:04:58,420 How will I get connected? 82 00:04:58,420 --> 00:05:04,440 So I think those hopefully kind of help break down the process and help students make informed 83 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:05,440 decisions. 84 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:06,440 That's really informative. 85 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,200 I know that definitely helped me when I was selecting my university. 86 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,400 Another common question that students wonder about is what do universities look at the 87 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:15,960 most on college applications? 88 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:20,080 Will we get automatically rejected if we fail our SATs? 89 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:27,160 Okay, so really the big answer to that question, which is the most common question almost always, 90 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:28,680 but it depends. 91 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,720 It depends on what kind of school you're applying to. 92 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:33,840 It depends on what program you're interested in. 93 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,640 It definitely depends on what country. 94 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:42,160 So I would say that in the US, for instance, and Proud knows a lot about this because she's 95 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,700 walking through that process right now, but we say that colleges look at a holistic review 96 00:05:47,700 --> 00:05:48,700 of applicants. 97 00:05:48,700 --> 00:05:54,120 So they're taking in not just academics, but they're looking at activities and attributes 98 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,680 and they're reading letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors and they're pouring 99 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,480 over their essays and hearing the student voice within the application. 100 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:08,080 So while it is a holistic process, the academics are still at the core of it. 101 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,360 Can I go back to that question for a moment? 102 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:16,820 Because I'd love to hear from Proud in her college application process and maybe you 103 00:06:16,820 --> 00:06:22,000 can share where you have applied or where you are going. 104 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Maybe you don't know yet. 105 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,000 That's okay. 106 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:25,000 I don't want to share. 107 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,000 Yeah, I know. 108 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Maybe you don't want to share. 109 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:28,000 That's totally... 110 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,000 So talk about the types of situations. 111 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:30,000 Yeah, yeah. 112 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,480 So I think Mrs. Jennery touched on all of the important piece, but personally for me, 113 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:39,040 I think that the program and the people are the most important factors when I was thinking 114 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:40,120 about it. 115 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,560 So definitely I looked into universities with the specific majors that I wanted to go in, 116 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,060 seeing which schools is specifically good at those ones. 117 00:06:48,060 --> 00:06:49,520 And then the next thing is the culture. 118 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:53,800 I feel like if I'm going to spend the rest of my four years in some place far away from 119 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:58,760 home, it better be a good place, a place that I really want to live in and just the people, 120 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,760 they should be the people that I basically just vibe with, I'm guessing. 121 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,320 So it's kind of hard to know sometimes from college websites. 122 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:11,420 So maybe asking other people who may have attended the place or just going onto YouTube 123 00:07:11,420 --> 00:07:13,840 or more informal ways, finding information. 124 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:18,040 I think those are the things that I kind of tried to look for when picking universities. 125 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,320 Were you able to visit? 126 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,560 And if you aren't able to visit, what are some recommendations regarding doing research? 127 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:30,800 Personally, due to COVID, I wasn't able to visit because I'm applying only to the US. 128 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,160 So I wasn't actually able to go there in time. 129 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:39,320 But I think, like I mentioned before, even though it's not directly looking at the website, 130 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:44,480 which most people would suggest, going to the college's Instagram, they have their Instagram 131 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:48,120 pages where they show different information and you don't only get to see it, you get 132 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:50,360 to see the, you don't get to read about it. 133 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,880 You get to view the pictures and the environment. 134 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,420 I think that's kind of the way I would go about doing that. 135 00:07:56,420 --> 00:08:01,840 And also sometimes they have a big university like Instagram, and then they also have like 136 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,440 smaller ones specific to the major you want to go into. 137 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,400 So I think that's also something that you can try and look for. 138 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:14,400 Yeah, I would agree and probably only tag on that most universities due to the COVID 139 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:16,760 pandemic have really upped their virtual games. 140 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:22,320 So you can take virtual tours, you can set up an appointment with virtually with a counselor 141 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:24,560 to talk about a specific program of interest. 142 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:29,880 So look at those virtual resources and also social media gives you such a good window 143 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,740 into the campus culture and what's happening there. 144 00:08:32,740 --> 00:08:37,000 When Mrs. Jen mentioned that also, I know it's kind of annoying, but every time you 145 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:43,000 kind of, I think, do the SAT or the AP exams, they have the student search services thing, 146 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,640 which sometimes the emails are kind of a lot. 147 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:50,120 They do send a lot of emails, but then sometimes I feel like there's a lot of virtual sessions 148 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,600 where they have many schools together and then they're going to host this like panel 149 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,140 thing where they explain things about their universities. 150 00:08:56,140 --> 00:08:58,400 So you can can definitely also look out for those. 151 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:03,280 Yeah, and another unique opportunity that ICS students have is that this year, university 152 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:05,720 reps are traveling back onto campuses. 153 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:11,360 So we are so excited and hope to host maybe even up to 100 universities on campus this 154 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:12,360 year. 155 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,160 So that's a wonderful opportunity to engage as well. 156 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:16,920 That sounds like very, very busy work. 157 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:21,520 And I know that seniors are definitely busy with college applications right now. 158 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:22,520 Am I correct, Ronnie? 159 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:23,520 Oh, definitely. 160 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:29,200 So do you think there's anything specific that sophomores and even freshmen should do 161 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:31,680 to prepare for their future college applications? 162 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:36,680 What I would say, if I'm talking to ninth and tenth graders, is really choose carefully 163 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:38,560 how you're going to spend your time in high school. 164 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:40,000 It is going to go so fast. 165 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,000 Right, Proud? 166 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,700 And so I think if you can be intentional about the activities you're choosing, even more 167 00:09:46,700 --> 00:09:49,880 than course selection, because of course you'll take some time with that. 168 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,360 But choose volunteer and community service options that align with your passions and 169 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:55,360 your gifts. 170 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:59,840 And really spend that time wisely because your senior year will be here before you know 171 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:00,840 it. 172 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,720 And then you will have an applicant profile that is quite compelling to share with the 173 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:06,600 universities you're interested in. 174 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:14,400 So for freshmen and sophomores, I feel like there are, I guess, two types of people, mainly. 175 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,600 So there's the type of people who are not thinking about college at all, which is totally 176 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:18,600 fine. 177 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,320 And there's also people who are like over-obsessed with the idea of getting into college, even 178 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,760 though it's like not close to that time yet. 179 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,640 So for the people who are like maybe don't have a plan yet, I feel like you could kind 180 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:33,640 of familiarize yourself a bit by maybe talking to your parents or finding your passions, 181 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,280 like Mrs. Jen says. 182 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:39,080 And yeah, basically just get to know it a little bit more so that you kind of know what 183 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,900 direction you're going to go to and what you're going to spend your time doing. 184 00:10:41,900 --> 00:10:46,720 And as for kind of like the other extreme, a lot of times people go to like different 185 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:48,960 websites to be like, oh, what should I do to get into college? 186 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,320 And I would just advise you to not do that and like not go do things just because you 187 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:57,440 think that, oh, someone told me to do this and it looks good on my portfolio. 188 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,120 It's really probably not, and it's probably not going to be specific enough. 189 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,280 So you should definitely just go for things that you enjoy doing because you're going 190 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,160 to probably be doing them for a very long time. 191 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,040 So yeah, don't fall into this hole of like doing, oh, I have to do this many hours of 192 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:12,040 community service. 193 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,640 I have to found this and that, like just try and just do your own thing, I think would 194 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:16,940 be the best advice. 195 00:11:16,940 --> 00:11:19,680 So much good advice just in part one. 196 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:23,120 And with that, we will be right back after this quick announcement. 197 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,120 One, two, three, four. 198 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:31,040 Hey everyone, Eagles Camp is next week. 199 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,740 Don't forget to pack your bags, bring your camera and be ready to have fun. 200 00:11:34,740 --> 00:11:38,040 This will be a weekend of fun, reflection and bonding between the community. 201 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:46,760 I hope to see you all there. 202 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,260 We are back for part two of our college and career talk. 203 00:11:50,260 --> 00:11:55,540 So our next question for Proud is, how has the college application process been so far? 204 00:11:55,540 --> 00:11:59,240 Have you had to overcome any obstacles or work around any problems? 205 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,160 I think right now my process, it's been a really meaningful and valuable time for me 206 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,620 to go through the college applications. 207 00:12:05,620 --> 00:12:10,480 So right now, obviously there's a lot of stress because I'm applying early to some universities 208 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,880 and that's due in like around a month. 209 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,600 So I'm really working on those supplementals and all of those things. 210 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,260 But the good thing about it is that I feel like some of the college questions, the supplementals 211 00:12:20,260 --> 00:12:25,080 they ask, they really allow you to explore yourself and kind of just find different aspects 212 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,520 of yourself that you might want to talk about that you kind of don't think about before, 213 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,760 which I think is a very unique part of the college application process. 214 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:36,560 And it's something that people should enjoy in the midst of all the stress that you have. 215 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:41,920 As for the obstacles, I feel like for me, the closer, the more work I have to do, the 216 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,240 less I kind of want to do them sometimes. 217 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,600 And it's kind of a problem because obviously I just want it to be really good before I 218 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,080 actually start, for example, writing. 219 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,320 If it doesn't come out the way I want it to, sometimes it's hard for me to even start it 220 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:55,960 at all, which is a big problem. 221 00:12:55,960 --> 00:13:01,000 But I'm slowly working towards it and just reminding myself that the first draft doesn't 222 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,100 have to be good. 223 00:13:02,100 --> 00:13:05,640 You just have to get your ideas out there and then that's where the other creative things 224 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:06,640 can go on. 225 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:13,440 Yeah, and I would step in and just commend Proud as such a great example for a student 226 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,520 taking ownership of this process. 227 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:19,460 I do think, like I mentioned before, it's one of those first times that high school 228 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:22,200 students are making these big adult decisions. 229 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:26,960 And there is such a correlation to sitting in the driver's seat, taking ownership of 230 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,960 this process and then having success while you're in college too. 231 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:32,520 So she's doing a great job. 232 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:33,520 Thank you, both of you. 233 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,800 Now, Mrs. Jen, I have a question for you. 234 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,760 How has the college application process changed over the years? 235 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:41,360 How different was it before the pandemic? 236 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:42,360 Oh, wow. 237 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:46,880 Well, if you really go back in the years, Mr. Jason can join me back in the 90s. 238 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,640 I mean, it was a totally different landscape, right? 239 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:54,800 I think if I think about it, I believe I submitted one application. 240 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,120 I probably I know I took the ACT once. 241 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,040 I had one draft of my essay. 242 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,560 So it has just become way more complex. 243 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:06,500 I think we have over 4000 universities in the U.S. alone. 244 00:14:06,500 --> 00:14:08,760 So the choices have expanded. 245 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,440 The factors of admission have expanded. 246 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,320 And it's really just become a bit more complex. 247 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:18,200 We also have students applying to colleges in 10 different countries, right? 248 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:23,560 So the options and the student mobility has increased to making the whole landscape just 249 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:24,560 a bit more competitive. 250 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:29,960 And then I guess before the pandemic and after the pandemic, things have changed as well, 251 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,560 specifically with the SAT. 252 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,080 That's one specific area. 253 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:40,440 Most schools are now test optional, meaning you do not have to submit your SAT scores. 254 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,920 I do feel like our students typically do pretty well on the SAT. 255 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,460 So I typically encourage them to submit it. 256 00:14:46,460 --> 00:14:51,720 We just had a rep from Notre Dame on campus last week who mentioned and I thought this 257 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:57,680 was some good perspective for our high schoolers that the SAT represents four hours of a student's 258 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:01,080 work, whereas a GPA represents four years. 259 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:02,500 So keep it in perspective. 260 00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:06,080 It's still a piece, but it's not the only piece to the application. 261 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:10,680 When I applied to college, I think I wrote my essay on by hand. 262 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:12,040 I don't think I typed it. 263 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:13,720 Maybe word processor. 264 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:14,720 Possibly. 265 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,560 But yeah, times have changed big time. 266 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,040 So next question. 267 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:25,040 So correct me if I'm wrong, but Proud, we've heard that you conducted some research on 268 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,840 the effects of soybeans and how it affects dementia. 269 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:29,560 That sounds super interesting. 270 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:30,960 Can you tell us more about it? 271 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:31,960 Yeah, sure. 272 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:38,340 So as I shared about during the salt trip this year, I was basically in this process 273 00:15:38,340 --> 00:15:41,200 of kind of like relooking back at some of my memories. 274 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:46,560 And one of the things that was a really big part of my family was my grandfather who had 275 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:51,600 dementia after he had a stroke and then he passed away not long after. 276 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:56,000 So I always heard stories about my mom talking about my grandfather and like basically his 277 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:00,200 impact in our family and then how different he was after he got this disease. 278 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,200 And I felt like after hearing that, I kind of like teared up a lot. 279 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:04,200 I like I cried. 280 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:05,560 Like it was really sad for me. 281 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:10,200 And that's why I decided that maybe I should maybe try to do something about it. 282 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,240 And I had some, I guess, extra time at that point. 283 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,120 So I started doing some research, going to Google Scholar into seeing like ways that 284 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,400 dementia is being cured. 285 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:24,900 And I came across this Thai professor who was doing research with like mulberry extracts. 286 00:16:24,900 --> 00:16:30,680 And then he realized that this was like a potential way that to help alleviate like 287 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,800 dementia for a lot of elderly patients. 288 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,480 So basically what I did was I just contacted him. 289 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,920 I found his email and just kind of emailed him like, yeah, so I'm really impressed with 290 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:41,120 the work that you've done. 291 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,280 Could you maybe accept a student to maybe come work at your lab? 292 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:48,780 Because I'm really interested in working with you and I'm really passionate about dementia. 293 00:16:48,780 --> 00:16:50,960 So I'd really like to learn more about it. 294 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:54,280 And that's what kind of led me to go to Burapai University. 295 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,520 And then that's where I kind of did this research about soybeans. 296 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:02,160 So you take soybeans from Chiang Mai and then we go through this process of hydrolysis and 297 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:03,160 all of these things. 298 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,520 And then we kind of try to test them to see like object recognition tests and all that 299 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,120 kind of thing to see. 300 00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:13,640 And then we basically found out that neuron density in the hippocampus increased by a 301 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,440 significant percentage. 302 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:20,440 So basically like these soybean hydrolysis are actually able to help people with dementia. 303 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,400 But we haven't really gone through like the clinical phases yet. 304 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,240 So we can't really like make a real product out of that. 305 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,080 But right now I think it's a pretty good start. 306 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:31,360 And I was really excited that the results actually work the way that they did. 307 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,600 Wow, that's a very cool story, Proud. 308 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:34,600 Thank you, Lion. 309 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:39,040 It also relates to me a bit because my grandpa also he also had dementia. 310 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:43,920 He would ask me like a few times a day, like what my name is, who's son am I? 311 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:46,560 He couldn't remember who my dad is. 312 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:48,360 Couldn't remember like any of his kids. 313 00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:52,640 And he wouldn't remember to take his own medication either unless we wrote on a whiteboard for 314 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,920 him so he would read it. 315 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,520 And I really respect how you really took matters to your own hands. 316 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:00,520 You won't let life tell you what to do. 317 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:05,360 You tell life to go away and you fixed a problem yourself because if no one's going to do 318 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:06,360 it, you're going to do it. 319 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:08,400 And I think that's inspiring. 320 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,200 We should all try and do that. 321 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,200 So life gives you lemons, go research about soybeans. 322 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:18,440 So is there anything else that you're passionate about that you have explored more through 323 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:20,080 clubs or campaigns? 324 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,240 Another thing that I'm obviously passionate about is engineering, which is something that 325 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:29,060 I'm going into, but specifically about women in engineering because in the STEM field, 326 00:18:29,060 --> 00:18:32,520 women are always clearly very underrepresented. 327 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:36,400 Basically like during my 11th grade year, I was taking like things like AP Calc, AP 328 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,480 Comm Sci and we're like one or two girls in each of these classes. 329 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,920 And I feel like ICS, which is like a very open community, we don't discriminate between 330 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:49,680 gender of course, but there are still a lot of times where women are not really trying 331 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,220 to go into STEM fields because it seems like a male dominated field is like a guy's job. 332 00:18:54,220 --> 00:18:56,880 So I find this super infuriating. 333 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:58,360 Like I really hate that kind of thing. 334 00:18:58,360 --> 00:18:59,720 Like, oh yeah, leave it for the guys. 335 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,320 Like, oh, are you really good at math? 336 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:02,720 You're a girl, that kind of thing. 337 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:04,840 Like it's still a problem today. 338 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:10,500 So this led me to kind of found the ICS SWENEX, which is Society of Women Engineers. 339 00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:15,400 And we mostly work with middle schoolers so far just to try and let them kind of explore 340 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:21,920 engineering and just know that your gender does not determine what field you go into. 341 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,940 It's just whatever you're interested in, you should always go for it. 342 00:19:24,940 --> 00:19:29,000 And this is obviously not just directed to girls only, like guys as well. 343 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,960 Like guys can pick any field that they would like to go to. 344 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:37,080 Also another thing that I'm really passionate about is about the problem of colorism. 345 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,820 This is basically a form of discrimination due to skin color in Thailand. 346 00:19:41,820 --> 00:19:45,980 So I didn't initially realize that this was an issue in Thailand until I kind of started 347 00:19:45,980 --> 00:19:50,480 growing up and I started like watching more Thai movies and K-dramas. 348 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,220 And I feel like a lot of people always say like, wow, your skin is so pale. 349 00:19:54,220 --> 00:19:55,600 Like this is so cool. 350 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,600 Like, wow, how do you get this skin color or something like that? 351 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,760 And I feel like that is super damaging. 352 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,200 And obviously when you go around town and you see like advertisements of these like 353 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,240 really like light skinned models and you don't really see a lot of representation here in 354 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:10,240 Thailand. 355 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,440 And it's really infuriating for someone who, you know, obviously for me, I don't have 356 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:17,400 like the lightest skin color just to like see like these snide remarks or having people 357 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,560 like compare arms to see who's like lighter skinned. 358 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,960 It's like an issue that's so big that it's a non-issue here in Thailand because people 359 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,480 just kind of overlook it and they just kind of accept when their grandmama's like, hey, 360 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,880 you look darker or you look fatter or something like that. 361 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:31,720 But that's why I found it, Loving All Tones. 362 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:36,640 So what we do is we partner with different brands and organizations, for example, Jiffereen, 363 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:39,400 which is a like skincare product place. 364 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:44,920 And we basically talk to them about this issue and then kind of have Loving All Tones stickers 365 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:45,920 placed in front of their store. 366 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,200 So right now there's 105 branches around Thailand with our stickers in front of their stores 367 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:51,240 as well as Subway. 368 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,600 So we're just kind of raising awareness for that. 369 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:59,440 And we also recently went to a skincare, like skincare brand and hosted a workshop at Bria 370 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,920 Skincare to have people write their feelings about their own skin color and place them 371 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:08,480 on post-its and also kind of spread awareness about this issue and remind them that no matter 372 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,880 what skin color you are, you are valued and your dignity does not depend on that. 373 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,120 Thanks for sharing, Proud. 374 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:19,280 So before we end this episode, our final question for both of you is, do you have any final 375 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,760 words of advice for underclassmen about college or careers? 376 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:27,040 Oh yeah, I guess I would say that your four years will just go by so quickly. 377 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,520 So spend your time wisely, as I mentioned before. 378 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,520 I would also encourage students to build their college team. 379 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:38,400 We talk about this team that will help them through the college application process. 380 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:43,680 Of course, your parents and guardians are on that team, but then connect with teachers 381 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:49,080 who you really respect and connect with, coaches, mentors, counselors for sure. 382 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:50,920 I want to be on your team. 383 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:55,760 And actually my favorite, very favorite part of the day is when I get a chance to sit with 384 00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:00,960 students and talk through these college search questions and college application questions. 385 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:05,320 So stop by and see me and we can talk more about it as well. 386 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,800 Even though for underclassmen, I feel like you definitely shouldn't worry or stress out 387 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:10,560 too much about college applications. 388 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:15,480 I would say that there's really no such thing as too early when it comes to just familiarizing 389 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,000 yourself as I mentioned. 390 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,520 I think it's super important for you guys to kind of just have like a basic understanding 391 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:24,760 or maybe try to explore things so that you guys actually know what you want to do in 392 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:25,760 the future. 393 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:27,760 I think that's something that a lot of people struggle with. 394 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,560 So just try to find your passion, but in a fun way and just don't, you know, stress out 395 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:33,600 too much about it. 396 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,780 And like Mrs. Jen said, there's always people who are willing to help you. 397 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:38,280 So always feel for you to reach out. 398 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,200 Like you're not the only person in this big grand journey. 399 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,680 So always like if you ever have any problems, just try to reach out to people that you think 400 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:47,800 might be helpful to you. 401 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,400 Mrs. Jen is one example. 402 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:50,400 Okay. 403 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:55,220 Thank you both so very much for joining us taking that next step in life, whether it's 404 00:22:55,220 --> 00:22:59,960 going to college, starting a new job, moving to another city or country. 405 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:02,720 It can all be a bit overwhelming at times. 406 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:07,640 However, like the quote of the day mentioned, unlike a tree, we were created with feet, 407 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,000 not roots. 408 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,780 Mrs. Jen's door is always open. 409 00:23:10,780 --> 00:23:15,640 So make sure you connect with her and thank you proud for your continued hard work with 410 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,680 your studies and your commitment to making a world a better place through some of the 411 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:25,320 very interesting projects that you've undertaken. 412 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,640 Before ending, we'd like to thank all of our listeners for joining us. 413 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:33,080 Please stay tuned for more episodes about exciting and engaging topics. 414 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:38,380 Our next episode will feature a conversation about a topic we all love, coffee. 415 00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:43,360 We have a special guest joining us from a popular, hip and fun Bangkok coffee shop. 416 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:44,480 So stay tuned. 417 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:49,480 And as always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of our international 418 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,200 student production team. 419 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:55,020 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives 420 00:23:55,020 --> 00:23:57,640 sharing copyright free images, videos and music. 421 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,200 And we are signing off until next time. 422 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:20,240 We are Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.