Self-Development Retreat Teaches Students about Personal Values

Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi recently hosted a self-development retreat for student leaders at The Pine Resort, Patumthani Province, with an aim to teach about personal values and self-esteem.

“Today’s fast-changing society has created many changes which influence the thoughts and behaviors of young people. That is why the university decided to organize this retreat; we would like our students to understand their own potentials and know how to harness them to the fullest, because these will help them to adjust to the changes as well as overcome life’s many challenges, while also remaining a responsible citizen in their family and society,” said Wirat Hotrawaisaya, Vice President, Department of Student Development.

Thanyaploi Thantrichat, first-year student majoring in mathematics, participated in the retreat and learned how to understand her own values and be content with who she is. “Good things in life start with understanding self,” she said, adding that she can apply what she learned from the retreat in her real life. Thiradej Boonhomlom, an architectural technology major, said that he made the right decision to join the retreat. “I learned that I can be friends with people who are different from me, that I can accept them even when they are not like me,” he said.

Similarly, Nattaporn Sangsomsak, first-year student in the Applied Thai Medicine program said that she learned about diversity. “Everyone is different. We should maintain a positive perspective in life and give back to society. The most important quality is leadership, in areas that include both academic and extra-curricula activities,” she said. Panuwat Chudam, first-year student in the product design program said that he learned how to live with others and to think before doing something. “Before judging others, we have to keep an open mind about this person,” he said.

A total of 80 first-year students participated in the retreat, which employed psychological techniques and approaches to teach about positive values and leadership. The participants went home with a better understanding of how to value self, love self, and understand others.