Today the Matilda Foundation has a great pleasure to introduce “Waew – Nathawara Thepkesorn”, one of the 2023 recipient of Matilda’s Break Your Boundary (BYB) Programme. Waew is scheduled to further her studies in Effects Technical Director (FX TD) at the Lost Boys Studio, School of Visual Effect in Canada this September.
It must be noted that, from our comprehensive selection process these past two years, each recipient of the BYB Programme is unique and shines their own different shades of Matilda’s values that we aim to uphold, and Waew is no different.
From her history, one can easily detect that her past studies do not align with her line of work. She was a science-maths major in high school, studied Engineering then shifted to Political Science for her undergraduate, found herself working in the graphic design industry upon graduation, and is going to pursue her studies in CG Special Effects that we see in the movies. At a glance, her path may seem like a long winding road, but upon careful consideration, one can see that it took a lot of courage and a huge amount of self-reflection for her to follow her dreams along a path that she paved for herself. It required “Mindfulness” and “Determination”, as well as the “Thirst” to do what she truly wanted to fuel herself along, all of which ensured that Waew’s path does not need to be like others. She can make it work by using her own style of active learning and ceaseless information and knowledge seeking, which reflects an especially strong “Inquisitive” trait in her.
When the Matilda Team reflects back to the 2023 interview, we clearly saw these outstanding qualities in Waew, and they were important factors that finally made Waew our first female recipient of the BYB Programme.
Let’s get to know her a little bit more.
(Mindful – รู้จักตัวเอง)
Q: Please tell us about yourself
Waew: Right now, I’m working as an art and creative director at a graphic design company in Chiang Mai. I was studying Political Science at Chiang Mai University before this. As for my hometown…I have had so many homes in various provinces that I cannot really pinpoint where my base is. My family moved around a lot because my father works at an insurance company and he would always take all of us along when he was required to move. However, if I must name somewhere that feels most like home to me, it would be Chiang Mai where I am right now, and Kamphaeng Phet where my parents are currently.
I also have a twin sister and she’s a nurse. Actually, 7 out of 10 friends in my group are nurses and I have always been taking different paths from them. To be honest, not all my friends who are nurses went to nursing schools because they wanted to pursue this career, but they did so in order to please their parents. I asked myself if I could really do what I did not have a passion for, and my answer was that it would be ‘unacceptable’. I think a career is like marriage. If we marry someone who we don’t have good chemistry with, it would be forcing it. I cannot do that.
Q: Tell us about your educational background
Waew: Actually, I studied Engineering (laughs) and I was a Science-Maths major in high-school. I chose that because I initially thought that looking for jobs would probably be easier. However, having a Science-Maths background does not have that many options in university. The obvious ones would be Medicine, Engineering, Nursing, etc. I personally don’t do well with blood, so I chose Chemical Engineering at Silpakorn University (Nakhon Pathom Campus). At that time, I neither had a focus about what I would do in life nor knew what I really wanted. I only thought that “I can study this'', but after some time studying Engineering, I realised that it’s really not for me.
Because Silpakorn University has its roots in art, I absorbed the creative spirit since then even though I studied Engineering. I felt that art was interesting, but I was not self-aware or really found my own artistic path at that point. I ended up moving over to Political Science because I thought that the scope is more flexible and interesting for me. I, however, also felt that it did not reflect who I really am as a person, but this time, I continued on until I graduated nonetheless.
If you ask me when I found who I really am, it would be this moment when I was studying Political Science. This was when I looked for extra income whilst I studied. For example, short film contests, designs and logos contests, etc. I won some of these contests, which made me enjoy it and started to feel like ‘This is it!’. Although I didn’t study this field directly, I felt that ‘I can do this’. Therefore, I didn’t carry on in Political Science upon graduation and applied for jobs with a graphic design company. I started with a language-related position though.
As I worked, I liked learning about other colleagues’ works, not so much my own. The colleague sitting next to me worked specifically in design and I really liked looking at this colleague’s computer. I often asked, “How did you do that?” “Can you teach me?”, and our boss probably noticed it and asked me if I want to seriously study it. He later asked a professor he knew to teach me. This was the point when I really got to study how graphic design works.
Thirsty (ปราถนาอย่างแรงกล้า) Determined (มุ่งมั่น)
Q: What about Graphic Design that attracted you?
Waew: The programmes are tools. What made the designs are our brains that created them. It’s just that our two hands cannot create what our minds can imagine, so these tools assist us. It can be said that these tools help me fulfil my imagination in ways that pens or pencils on paper cannot. If you learn graphic programmes, you will be able to create a lot of things. These programmes are rather difficult to learn though.
I really had to put my determination to use because I absolutely started from zero, after everyone else, since I did not study this field in university.
Q: Because you changed your fields many times, what are your views with regards to these changes? Do you feel that time was wasted?
Waew: People around me may feel that I’ve wasted some time, but I don’t feel that way at all because I can put everything I learned to use. The Physics I learned during Engineering studies can be applied to effects programmes and are very useful for me currently. For example, the concept of gravity and other calculations. The soft skills I learned during Political Science studies can also help me navigate the society in the bigger picture. I have no regrets.
In the beginning, I wasn’t so confident in my potential, but later I thought that “If I don’t give it a try, I would never have the chance to know.” When I first received the brochure about the short film contest, I questioned if it was possible, but I gave it a go and found that it was, indeed, possible. It might be difficult, but I had to take risks. It is the same with the work I am doing right now. I may have doubts about my abilities, but because of my determination and stubbornness, I will always try my best and give it a go.
Q: Do you have any experiences abroad?
Waew: I was on an exchange programme in Indonesia before. That was my first time going abroad. I didn’t have much skills or knowledge about the rules and regulations, and I was fined. The fine hugely affected my living expenses, so I had to quickly learn to live on an extremely tight budget. From taking buses to the university, I had to shift to walking instead. Even the drinking water, which was quite expensive, my friend and I had to carry the 1.5 litre bottles to fill up free-of-charge at the campus and carry them back. In Thailand, I never had to wake up early to buy low-price fresh produce at the market, but at that time it was a necessity. I had to do it diligently to survive the duration of my exchange programme. The experience taught me to toughen up and gave me the confidence that I can take care of myself well no matter where I am in the world.
Q: Why do you want to study abroad? Why not further your studies in Thailand?
Waew: The graphics industry in Thailand is not yet developed. I did some research on where the industry is growing and I found that it is really up and coming in Canada, especially in Montreal. I think I can go much further in my career if I get to be in that environment with people of the same mindset and supportive facilities. On top of that, studying abroad has always been my dream. My family cannot provide me with the financial support for this, so I have to fight for it in ways that I can.
Inquisitive – ไขว่คว้าหาคำตอบ สร้างองค์ความรู้ ศึกษาเพิ่ม
Q: You often do things you have not done before. Please tell us how you overcome fear.
Waew: If you fear it, study it. Part of the lack of confidence is from the fact that you don’t know it enough. At the point when you know enough and have talked with enough people in the industry about it, your confidence can be boosted. Being on our own, we won’t be able to know what the world is like outside.
Taking an example from my own case, I have to send a portfolio as part of my application to study in Canada. It was indicated that I have to use a specific programme to create the visual effects. I had no idea how to use this said programme, but had to seriously study it within a limited time frame via online courses and produce something impressive enough in order to be accepted. One of the courses I took had a Thai person teaching it, so I contacted the teacher and outrightly requested help, citing my urgency and determination. I sent the teacher my visual effects works and asked for feedback. I learned that way and eventually was successful in getting accepted to study at the Lost Boys Studio.
This kind of scenario happens to me all the time. If I don’t know how to do it, I will find ways to know. I will always look up information, study the know-hows, approach experts and ask for guidance. It must also be noted that I’ve been quite lucky to have met kind people who believed in my potential.
Q: How do you see your future?
Waew: I want to throw myself into the industry once I’ve completed my studies. If possible, I’d like to work at the studios there. I like the growth of the visual effects industry in Canada. Visual effects work is divided into many subfields, but the main ones are movies and advertisements. I like both and don’t plan to limit myself to any one field in particular.
Actually, I don’t really mind in which country I work, but I’m serious about working for an organisation that truly recognises my potential. I don’t mind working either onsite or online, but I want to be at a place where I can grow and learn.
Q: Right now you are full of determination, but what if things are not what you expected once you graduate? What will you do if you’re not successful?
Waew: Something similar happened to me before when I was in university. Everyone else was going forward in their lives, but I was still reading for exams. At that time, I thought to myself, “Am I going backwards?” This was exacerbated by the expectations from my family. You see, they didn’t support my decision to switch from Engineering to Political Science. My university friends also wondered what the hell I was doing when I applied to work in the graphics industry despite the fact that I graduated in Political Science with good grades. I’ve been through moments like this many times and I don’t regard it as being ‘Unsuccessful’. It is also a journey of me moving closer to something. My path was just different from the majority of people. What people judged as failures were what brought me to where I am now.
Q: What does your family think now?
Waew: They’ve become much more understanding, probably from seeing my determination to learn. I’m learning many things. For instance, how to use the new programme and the languages. Not only French, but the computer language also. If I want to use the programmes really well, I need to be able to communicate in its language. I know I can do it. And I’m determined to.
Q: Our programme is called “Break Your Boundary” (BYB), may I ask what your boundary is?
Waew: It's a financial boundary. Before meeting Matilda, I already had the plan to study abroad and talked with banks that offer loans. I found that there are many conditions and the interest rates are very high. Luckily, I found Matilda before I applied for those loans. Obviously, I applied for the BYB Programme instead.
Q: How did BYB attract you?
Waew: Most of the scholarships available require educational backgrounds that align with the field of study that the candidate wishes to pursue, so my background doesn’t allow me to apply to those scholarships at all. Therefore, a programme like BYB really opens up a door of opportunity for people who studied differently like me. Before I applied, I looked up information about the Matilda Foundation and tried to find how my conditions align with what the Foundation is looking for. Fortunately, I like writing and really paid attention to writing my application by providing the Foundation with as much information as possible. This was the reason why my application contained many citations. As for the financial plan, I asked people who actually live in Canada to estimate the practical living allowance that I need, as well as looking up information online on my own to support my plan.
I proposed three repayment plans to the Foundation, for the scenarios where I continue to work abroad and in the case where I return to work in Thailand because my income would be different. Normally, I always set aside a % of my monthly salary as savings. So, likewise, I estimated my repayment by calculating how much I really need per month to live comfortably and set aside a % I can afford as repayment to the Foundation.
Q: What do you think about Matilda’s requirements in our application? Many people think that we ask for a lot and make the application difficult, what is your view on this?
Waew: I think it’s both challenging and an opportunity. I’ve never seen an opportunity like this before in terms of studying abroad. When I found BYB, I went straight for it. I prepared everything and proposed my plans to the Foundation.
Because I really wanted it, I tried hard. I practised interviews with my friends everyday, both in Thai and in English. I did my best to prepare. How can I let an opportunity like this go? I can’t. The Universe has given me the opportunity.
Q: You’re going on a short 10-month course, do you think these 10 months can change your life?
Waew: Of course. I never thought that I’d get a chance to study what I like abroad before, so this is an important opportunity for me. My life has already been changed. When I have such a precious opportunity in my hand, I can only do my best because I know that these moments don’t come often in life.
As you may have noticed from reading Waew’s story, every step of her journey reflects her reaching out for knowledge and opportunities, which is one of Matilda’s Foundation valued qualities. Furthermore, Weaw’s learning process is not limited to traditional learning in classrooms, but she can search for knowledge from every channel. This quality, when coupled with being Mindful of what she truly wants, having enough Thirst for it, being equipped with the Determination to reach her goal and the Accountability to walk all the way, makes the Matilda Foundation confident that Waew has enough “Matilda qualities” in her to fight against all obstacles that may come in her way. And she has shown us through her past experiences that she is not here to just “Try it out for fun,” but she is “serious” and will “Walk her talk”.
Go for it Waew!
It’s true that “The Universe has given you the opportunity.”
Comments