Bridging Thailand and Australia
Yahya Wongkanya has always been a high flyer. A recipient of the Australia Award and a Thai diplomat, Yahya graduated from the ANU School of Culture, History & Language’s Master of Engaging Asia program last week.
During his early career, he worked with the Thai Government. In 2022, receiving an Australia Award, a prestigious Australian Government scholarship, opened the floodgates of opportunity for Yahya. He opted to study at ANU because of its global ranking and reputation for the highest standards of academic excellence. He was attracted by the prospect of an environment that boasted top-level subject matter experts, well-known scholars and a multicultural and diverse student community.
Yahya recalls how challenging the transition from a professional mindset and background to an academic lifestyle was.
There was a lot to learn. I had to be adaptive, really had to open my mind. Trying to blend in was important but I fought to keep true to my identity. Being who I was, that was the biggest challenge for me. I don’t have this big moment that sums it all up, but I guess coming to Australia, an English-speaking country, was a little bit difficult. There were very different ways people communicated to one another. In Asian societies, we don’t really go straight forward. We don’t like such direct communication. Coming here, I had to learn to say what I want.
His advice to those who want to pursue a similar path is to be focused on the end goal and have a plan in place. “I am a result-oriented person. I received some advice before that you have to start everything at the base, at the beginning. You have to know what you are going to do, in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. Life needs a short-term and a long-term plan. That’ll cover your personal and work life.”
Yayha reminisces particularly about the opportunity he had to study and interact with experts and government officials. “When I was studying the course “contemporary issues in diplomacy”, I had the chance to discuss issues in diplomacy and international affairs with Estonian and Afghanistan ambassadors to Australia. Meanwhile, the interdisciplinary course “unravelling complexity” equipped him to critically analyse issues and work on innovative problem solving to fundamentally macro global challenges such as human rights and climate change.
The way forward for Yahya, now that he is a graduate, is to take his experience and learnings to influence his work, achievements and contributions as a diplomat in Thai foreign affairs. He is keen to enhance the bilateral relations between his country and others, work on economic diplomacy and different issues across the board.
On Graduation Day, he perfectly summed up the essence of an international student’s experience at ANU:
I have a lot of good memories here. I met a lot of people from the Pacific Islands, who are very rare to meet outside of this program. I think they’ll become future leaders in their countries one day. It was good to meet them here, in this environment.
Good luck Yahya, and keep us posted as a valuable member of the CHL, CAP and ANU alumni community!
