CMIRC Scholarship Student Mon Reflects on Field Training in Chiang Saen

Mon is a final-year Public Health student at Mae Fah Luang University and a grateful recipient of Rotary scholarship support. In a recent letter to Rotary donors, she shared reflections from a semester dedicated entirely to field training. Mon’s field training took her to Chiang Saen, a quiet and beautiful town on the border of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Moving to a new city was a major change from university life, but it became an experience she will remember with appreciation.

Her first placement was at Chiang Saen General Hospital, where she rotated through departments including outpatient services and emergency night shifts while also managing a heavy load of school assignments and reports. As an international student, the placement was especially demanding, but Mon wrote that overcoming those challenges helped her build resilience, time management, clinical awareness, and confidence.

Her second placement at the Chiang Saen District Health Office gave her a different and warmly supportive experience. There, her work focused more on public health practice, health promotion, and disease prevention projects, closely aligned with her future professional goals.

On the final day of training, Mon and her group were given the opportunity to visit Laos, meet with a local healthcare team, and learn about the Lao healthcare system. This unexpected cross-border perspective added another valuable layer to her learning.

Mon closed her letter by thanking Rotary and its donors for easing her financial burden and giving her the courage to step into new challenges. She wrote that public health is not only about knowledge, but also about compassion, patience, and showing up even when it is hard. Her words are a powerful reminder of the long-term impact scholarship support can have on a student’s life and future service to society.