Cambodian Student in RMUTT  Wins Speech Competition

Cambodian Student in RMUTT  Wins Speech Competition      

Chiang Mai Rajabhat University (CMRU) has organized an International Thai Speech Competition for higher education institutions, which was held at the Earngkham meeting room on the third floor of Chiang Mai Rajabhat University (CMRU)’s Chalermprakiat building. The theme of the competition was “learning Thai to develop one’s quality of life.” This year’s competition consisted of two rounds – the preparation round, in which contestants were given seven minutes to speak, and an impromptu speech round, wherein contestants were given three minutes to speak about a topic immediately. A total of 28 students from 15 local and international higher education institutions participated in the competition. Mr. Sokban Srin, a student from RMUTT, won first place. Mr. Yuzhe Yang from Chiang Mai University (CMU) received first runner-up, and Miss Yangqi Li from Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University (RRU) received second runner-up.

            Mr. Sokban Srin said that he is a Cambodian student that has been awarded HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Royal Scholarship. He enrolled in RMUTT in the 2014 academic year and is currently in his fourth year, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Program in Tourism in the Faculty of Liberal Arts. He chose to study at RMUTT as it is a famous higher education institution. Furthermore, he would like to apply knowledge learnt in university in his future career. He has lived in Thailand for one year and was able to adapt to new friends and the environment here. His friends in Thailand would help him like his friends back in Cambodia. He currently resides with other students from Cambodia and would visit Cambodia when the school term ended. At RMUTT, he would participate in activities, particularly speech competitions. He had previously qualified for the impromptu speech round in the international speech competition held at Chulalongkorn University in 2016. Moreover, he has continuously practiced his Thai speaking and writing skills, and decided to participate in the competition again this year.

In this competition, Mr. Sokban Srin had to compose a speech in the first round. He practiced with Prof. Sophon Sathornsamrit and Prof. Aranya Sansara, whom also gave him advice by analyzing the speech topic and subsequently creating the storyline related to learning about languages and the importance of learning about languages to apply in improving himself, his career, and quality of life. The underlying concept is that “improving society starts from improving one’s self, improving one’s self begins by improving education, improving education begins with learning a language, and learning a language is the key to unlock the world. It is also a compass that provides guidance in terms of communicating in a globalized society, which will lead to developing better relationships with others in a global community.”

The second round of the competition is the impromptu speech wherein judges would give contestants three minutes to speak about a topic immediately. Mr. Sokban Srin prepared and practiced well in terms of composition, rhythm, and gesture, which led him to win the judges’ hearts. “Living in Thailand is like being at home because there are many similarities in terms of the food, lifestyle, and topography; I love Thailand as much as I love Cambodia” said Mr. Sokban Srin.