Have you been told that it is too hard to get a university education? Has somebody convinced you that you cannot reach your goal? Maybe there is a little voice in your head that tells you that great things are impossible for you?

Well, Zin Yamin Thant from Mon State had people telling her she could not do it. 

Yet, Zin Yamin Thant did not let that stop her.

She went from studying the BEAM Online GED course to being a scholarship recipient at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

“After dropping out of school due to the coup, I felt completely lost. I wanted my parents to see me graduate and have a good career, but I hadn’t even officially completed high school,” she says. 

“Studying abroad seemed like a distant dream for me. During this time of stress and depression, I found BEAM, which gave me a piece of hope in my hardships,” Zin Yamin Thant says.

It was through social media that Zin Yamin Thant discovered the GED Online program and this was to completely change her life.

“I applied through the link provided and was selected to participate in the program. It had an incredible impact on me. Although I knew I needed a GED diploma at least for studying abroad, I didn’t want to request the course fees from my parents,” she says. 

“BEAM’s program became the solution to all my problems. With the help and support of BEAM, I was able to turn my educational dream into reality.”

“I’m sure I couldn’t have gotten to this point without BEAM. First, I was able to study for GED free of charge thanks to BEAM. 

I achieved high scores on the real GED exams because of the qualified teachers in BEAM. 

Even though I participated in a self-study program and only watched recorded videos, I always felt like I was in a Zoom meeting due to the energetic teachers. 

Moreover, BEAM reimbursed the exam fees for 2 GED subjects, which I used for the IELTS exam fee,” Zin Yamin Thant says.

Of course, becoming a GED graduate is only half of the journey. Finding a scholarship can be a very overwhelming and stressful experience.

“After I finished the GED exam, there was only one month left before the application deadline for Thammasat University and TISR Scholarship was due. I didn’t also have the IELTS certificate, and many people told me to give up and try again next year,” she says. 

They believed it would be too difficult to be accepted without an IELTS qualification and with such little preparation time. However, I decided to take IELTS exam in two weeks through self-study. 

Fortunately, I got an overall band score of 7, which allowed me to apply to universities. Throughout this journey, I was tired both physically and mentally. 

I had to manage everything on my own and minimize costs as much as possible. Moreover, I didn’t get much mental support, and almost everyone doubted whether I could make it. 

That’s why, I felt like I could finally prove how much I can do when I got the scholarship,” she says. 

“I was awarded the Thammasat International Students Recruitment (TISR) Scholarship Category C, which covers my tuition fees for the entire 4-year study period.

Although Zin Yamin Thant achieved her dream, there were also some struggles to find a scholarship covering living costs, as most of the scholarship deadlines were over.  

“I considered applying for a student loan from Zomia as the last option. After a long application process with Zomia, I became a Zomia student and got a loan to cover my first year expenses,” she says.

We couldn’t be more proud of Zin Yamin Thant for her fighting spirit and her committed plans for the future.

“After graduating university, I plan to support and work for the organizations that provided me financial support for my education. I feel a duty to do something back for them. 

I will work hard to support my parents and repay my loan from Zomia. On the other hand, I will work for my homeland which is the main reason I applied to the Civil Engineering and Real Estate Development program. 

I aim to make a positive impact on my community by improving the quality of transportation and living standards in Myanmar.”

“In my opinion, the best thing about BEAM is how they constantly organize a lot of community projects. I used to think BEAM only offered a GED program, but they actually have many programs intended to develop education for the young people in Myanmar who have lost the right to study peacefully,” she says. 

To stay updated on BEAM’ programs and apply if something interests you, follow the BEAM Education Foundation page.

If you need further inspiration, check out our success story about BEAM CYLD (Community Youth Leadership Development)  Program student Im here.