This website is made by and managed by GBS students in order to empower them and let their voices be heard
Meet the future leaders
Global Border Studies has 20 students in the 2014-2017 academic year. They come from different places in Burma and from different refugee camps. All have different ethnic backgrounds, cultures and histories. They live and study together at GBS with big dreams. If you want to know about them, you can read below.
Htaw Kwee
Ethnicity:Mon
Origin:Mon State
I joined GBS because of the skills that GBS provides me with. Skills like leadership skills, conflict resolution, peace education, proposal writing are very useful for me in order to work for my community and to become a leader. My dream is to become a great leader who will change Burma to become a peaceful country. The most important things that GBS gives me is confidence to deal with problems and to find the best way to solve them. I would like to see all ethnic groups from Burma have their freedom, territories, and self-determination. Moreover, I would like to see the Burmese government will use the new system which is a federal republic.
Kha Kha
Ethnicity:Kachin
Origin:Kachin State
I would like to work with different ethnic groups as a social worker to help my community. I stand for those who have no chance for education. I believe that GBS will give me a good education to help my community and I believe that GBS helps me to achieve my goal. The most interesting that I have learned from GBS is conflict resolution. I like to solve problems. I would like to see a real democracy and free and fair elections in Burma.
Khun Hla Win Tun
Ethnicity:Pa O
Origin:Karen State
I joined the GBS program because I am really interested in Social Science and conflict resolution. My dream is to be a good CBO (Community Based Organization) leader. I am happy to work with CBO’s in my community. GBS helps me to achieve my goal. GBS trained me to have a creative mind and to get a deeper understanding of the social network. I have learned many things in the GBS program such as global issues, leadership skills and conflict resolution. I really like conflict resolution because it’s really important for me when I work in my community. Finally, I would like to see Burma full of peace and sustainability. Then, I would like to see Burma have equal rights and justice.
Khun Jop
Ethnicity:Kayan
Origin:Shan State
My dream is to be a politician. I believe that GBS may help my some parts to achieve my dream. By learning leadership shill and community development, I bring it to reality to my society and nationality. I can do something for my community to be peaceful place and to be democratic country.
Kyaw Zin Aye
Ethnicity:Burmese
Origin:Mon State
Hello, I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Kyaw Zin Aye. I am Burmese. I am 19 years old. In my life I really want to be a political journalist because journalism is very exciting and can bring current news to people. I decided to apply to GBS to study social sciences. I believe that if I study in GBS I will know more about politics, human rights, leadership and community development which I really want to study. I have never lived in refugee camp so I wanted to see what camp looked like and I wanted to get new experience about refugee camp. I believe that GBS can provide English skills, knowledge, ambition, and how to bring peace for Burma in the future.
Men Houng Prize
Ethnicity:Mon
Origin:Karen State
My big dream is to be a good leader in my community. GBS is one big step to reach my goal. GBS opens my eyes to see the world, opens my heart to sympathize with others and opens my mind to think critically. I have learned about leadership, community development, conflict, reconciliation and peace building from GBS. I would like to see Burma without civil war and all ethnic groups live in peaceful and harmony life.
Mi Chan Non
Ethnicity:Mon
Origin:Mon State
I joined the GBS program because I believe that the GBS program is helpful and useful for me and the organization that I work with. My dream is to become a good leader in my community. I have learned many things in GBS such as Social Science, human rights, community development, peace building and conflict resolution. I have trained a lot with my teachers to achieve my goal. In conclusion, I would like to see Burma become a peaceful country. Then, I would like to see Burma with no more fighting and no more conflict between the Burmese government and the ethnic groups.
Naw Day Mu Dah
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
Hi, I am Day Mu Dah. I am Karen from Doo Playa district inside Karen State. I joined GBS because I see that the skills which GBS provide are helpful for me. And, I believe that GBS can help me to become a leader with enough skills and confidence to work in the community efficiently. My dream is to work in a community in the education part and I would like to be a person who is helpful for the community.
Social science and English are the main subjects which help me to get skills at GBS. In addition, I do not want to see any conflicts in Burma. I would like to see refugees and people from Burma work together peacefully and to have strong peace in Burma. Therefore, if the ethnic groups can have strong relationships there can be peace in Burma
Naw Klee Moo
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
Hi, I am Klee Moo. I am Karen and I come from brigade 5, Mu Traw district in Karen State. I joined GBS because GBS is the program which trains the students to prepare them selves with full capacity and have self-confidence to develop the community and country. My dream is to be a good leader and to improve the level of education in the community. I am prepared to share the experience and leadership system that I have learned in GBS. The main subjects that I learn in GBS are social science, computer skills, leadership skills and English skills.The goal of GBS is to be able to create an opportunity for graduate students to work with different organizations.I would like to see Burma become a federal union. In addition, every ethnic diverse group has the same goal to build peace in the country. Moreover, I would like the government to recognize the GBS program as an official education.
Naw Paw Kler
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
I have seen my people been discriminated, tortured and killed by the military government. I want to help them, in order for them to be able to stand by themselves. I am sure that, I can get the abilities from GBS, that I need in order to help them.
It is a good opportunity for those people who can join GBS. I have been studying about peace education, ethnicity, culture conflict and community development. Therefore, I’m sure that I can be a good leader in my community and I have a dream to build my own organization. I hope that Burma will be a peaceful country with no more ethnic conflict, no more civil war and will become a federal system.
Naw Say Gay Poe
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
I joined the GBS program because the GBS program is useful for my future. My dream is to be able to work in a community and to take the responsibility as a community leader. I have learned many things from the GBS program. Moreover, I have learned about peace, human rights, leadership skills and colonization. These all are very useful for me. Finally, I would like to see Burma become a peaceful country with no more military government and no more corrupt leaders in Burma.
Ra Reh
Ethnicity:Karenni
Origin:Karenni State
I will go back to my community with education, knowledge and experience to help my people after GBS. GBS helps me to have good relationships with different ethnicities, religions and cultures. I have learned about leadership, conflict transformation and reconciliation, peace education and peace building. The program is very good for my life and my future. I wish the coming 2015 election in Burma will be a free and fair election and I would like to see justice in Burma.
Saw Day Chit
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
My dream is to take an important role to serve my community, meaning that my people and nation should be free from being controlled by a dictatorship system.
I joined GBS, as it is the only program where I can learn about building peace, conflict resolution, and community development in Karen refugee camps. In addition, I believe that GBS can help me to achieve my dream.
After GBS I will go back to Karen State and get involved in an organization, where help is needed and I will work with community leaders. GBS can help me to achieve my goals by showing me the exact way to reach my goal through learning everything in the GBS program.
Mi Thi Thi Mon
Ethnicity:Mon
Origin:Mon State
Hello, I am a student who is active and participant with the school’s activities. I would like to work with community development in my society. Therefore, I joined GBS School to achieve my dream. I have a great opportunity to learn about peace education, community development and ethnic conflict. Thus, all these subjects are giving me the experience that I need to be able to help my dream. I would like to change my community to become equal and filled with humility and justice. I try to get more knowledge to share with my people or new generations in Burma who have less knowledge. I want to see Burma become a country that is full of freedom and equality for every ethnicity, and to become a peaceful society.
I want to be a good leader in Burma and to participate in politics as a Burmese citizen. I need strong believes and abilities to achieve my dream, which is to be a good leader in my community in Burma. I believe that the abilities I need are some that GBS can give me fully. GBS can help me on how to develop a community, to be equal and to participate in society since I have learned about ethnic conflict, peace education and community development. I’m sure that I can promote myself as a leader with the abilities that I got from GBS. We have ethnic conflict in Burma, therefore I want to see all ethnic groups in Burma to become one family. All ethnic groups should have rights as the rights that have been with them since they were born.
Naw Htay Nyo
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
Naw Mee Lay
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Tenasserim division
I am a student from GBS (Global Border Studies) which is one of the greatest schools for those who would like to participate with their society or to be a leader in their community. I believe that GBS can give me the higher abilities that I need to achieve my dream. I believe GBS can help me to succeed my dream. My dream is to build my own school in the village to provide education for orphans. Furthermore, I want to see those children to access the rights of education equally like other children in Burma. I have gotten many experiences on how to stand in front people as I have learned about peace education, community development and ethnic conflict in class. As I have learned from GBS I want to see Burma become a democratic country with justice, freedom and equal rights for all ethnics.
Naw P'Saw Paw
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
Hi, I am P’Saw Paw. I am Karen and I come from Karen State. GBS School is very interesting and the level of education is very high and full of qualification. I joined this program to gain a higher education level, to improve myself, to have self-confidence and to be motivated to work in my community. My dream is to be a good leader who can bring freedom to my country. I would like to see every ethnic group in Burma have self-determination, autonomy and equal treatment.
Naw Shue Klaine Paung
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
Hi, I am Shue Klaine Paung. I am Karen from Burma. I joined GBS because GBS is the school that will train me in changing the political system in my country. Nowadays, if you do not know about politics, people can oppress you, discriminate you. Many people want to change Burma into becoming a democratic country, so I want to be a part of the people who change the country into a democratic country. My dream is to be a person who can make the people in my community respect human rights and to train my people to use a democratic system with fair treatments. I would like to see Burma to be full of peace and justice.
Saw Bo
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
I joined GBS to be trained in order to become a good leader. I dream to become a good leader for my people and for Burma to be a peaceful country. We would like to find peace and trust. In order to achieve peace we need to walk in the same path. GBS gives me tools to work in the community effectively. I have overcome many difficulties through my studying. It makes me stronger and stronger. In the future, it will help me to stay strong and confident.
Saw Nay Blut
Ethnicity:Karen
Origin:Karen State
I dream of becoming a good person who is going to serve my nation to escape from the obstacles that they have been facing since the time of our ancestors. I really do not like to see that we are discriminated based on our race and ethnicity.
GBS can help me to achieve the goal that I set up in the past. Therefore, I tried to join GBS to improve myself to be helpful for my nation. I will go back to my community to help them to achieve in building peace. I am willing to share the skills that I have learned at the GBS program with my nation. GBS helps me to see who I am, shows me the way where I have to go and teaches me to do what I have to do.