Nong's Story

Nong grew up in a small hill tribe community in the mountains outside Chiang Rai. Her family worked the land for subsistence — enough to eat, rarely enough for anything more. School was inconsistent. The nearest vocational college was a two-hour journey and offered programmes that had little connection to any employment she could realistically access.

"I wanted to do something real," she says. "Not just study and study with nothing at the end. My family needed me to actually be able to work — to bring something home."

Finding Sirirat

Nong learned about Sirirat through a community outreach visit organized ahead of the 2026/2027 inaugural cohort. She applied not knowing what to expect — the application process included written assessments, an attitude interview, and a practical task she describes as "something about observing plants and describing what you see."

She was one of ten students selected for the first cohort. "I remember feeling like they saw something in me," she says. "Not just my background — what I could actually do, how I thought."

Year 1 — Foundation at Kiku Farm

All Sirirat students begin with a shared Year 1 in Regenerative Agriculture, regardless of their intended specialization. For Nong, who had grown up around farming, it was both familiar and entirely new. "I knew how to plant. I did not know why things grew — the science of soil, the relationship between water, sun, wind, and earth."

Under the guidance of Program Director Dr. Woody (Mr. Nathaphobdham Phobdhamjarernjai) and teacher May (Miss Potjaman Maneesawet), she spent four days a week at Kiku Farm and two days in structured classroom sessions covering Regenerative Design, Soil Science, composting, organic pest control, and product yield management. Business English was integrated into every classroom session.

"The Muay Thai training surprised me most," she reflects. "I thought it would just be exercise. But it changed something — the way I carry myself, how I speak up, how I handle pressure. That discipline carried into everything else."

Years 2 & 3 — Agricultural Professional Track

At the end of Year 1, Nong chose the Agricultural Professional specialization. Where Year 1 had given her the ecological foundation, Years 2 and 3 pushed her into product development and market strategy — how to take what a farm grows and build a business around it.

She learned product refinement and quality grading, farm-to-market logistics, brand positioning for organic produce, and how to negotiate with buyers and distributors. By the second half of Year 3 she was managing a full seasonal crop cycle independently — planning, directing the daily work of junior trainees, and reporting production outcomes to Dr. Woody.

"I was nervous the first time I had to present a production report. My English was not perfect. But I did it. And the next time it was easier. And the time after that, easier again."

Final Examinations & Certification

Nong's final examinations in 2029 assessed both theoretical knowledge (50%) and practical performance (50%) — the second component evaluated live at Kiku Farm over a three-day period. She passed with distinction in the practical component.

"The practical exam felt like just another day at work," she says. "That was the point, I think. They designed it that way."

On completion she received an industry-recognized Vocational Certificate in Regenerative Agriculture — the first graduate of the Sirirat programme to do so.

After Graduation

Kiku Farm offered Nong a permanent position as Farm Operations Lead three weeks before she graduated. She now manages day-to-day agricultural operations, leads the farm's organic certification renewal process, and mentors new Sirirat students placed at Kiku Farm each year.

Her family has seen the change. "My mother cried when I showed her the certificate. Not because she didn't believe in me. Because now I could prove it to everyone else."

She is 22 years old.