As one might expect from her name, Chanittha Vesboonchu carries with her an air of sophistication and style that compliments her light-hearted sense of humour and charming personality. To use the clichéd idiom, she is a “breath of fresh air,” accompanied by a kick of well-dressed finesse. After engaging with her in conversation—which we kept interrupting with fits of girlish giggles and longer-than-necessary deviations about salad-based Instagram accounts—I thought, “Dang, I want to be more like this girl.”
This is Chanittha’s third year at SFU, where she is pursuing a joint major in business and communications. Yes, it can be done, and Chanittha is racing toward the latter end of her degree with the tenacity of an undergrad student bolting from West Mall to Blusson Hall in mere minutes. How does she do it? (For clarification purposes, the question was directed towards how she handles her academics, rather than what brand of sneakers she wears to sprint across campus.) “Coffee,” Chanittha responds with dead seriousness (a cappuccino is her drink of choice, preferably with art).
She discovered her aptitude for the two disciplines during her first year of university. “I absolutely fell in love with communications,” she tells me. “It encourages you to think critically, to look at things from a different point of view. Because we are so bombarded by media in every aspect of our lives, it’s important to take a step back and examine what we’re actually being made to look at.” But it’s very theory-based, and that’s where the business side of things comes in. “I think the two together are a strong match for moving into the highly competitive work field after graduation,” she explains wisely.
When she’s not climbing stairs across campus to get to the various classes that make up her harried schedule, she spends her time working as the Platform Chair for the Social Media Network (SMN), the Director of International Relations for AIESEC, and the Vice President of Operations for the SFU Thai Student Association (whose official launch date is scheduled for Spring 2016). I would read that last sentence over a few more times and let those professional-sounding words ring in your head. They certainly impressed me! A hefty and seriously remarkable resumé that made me feel like I needed to re-evaluate what I’m doing with my life.
As the SMN Platform Chair, Chanittha leads a team in overlooking the logistics of the social media case competition, which she advocates as a great way to put academic skills to use and get some hands-on experience in a competitive setting. Like most of our generation, Chanittha loves social media, Pinterest being her favourite platform because of its inspiring and helpful qualities. As for being on the executive team, her experience outside of the classroom setting proved to be very practical. “I would rather do hands-on work than sit in a lecture hall,” she admits. “Being part of the planning process and having to meet up with the rest of the team is also a great opportunity to build good friendships with people who share the same passion as you.”
Part of what helped Chanittha grow into the independent, confident woman sitting, with legs neatly crossed, beside me, was her worldly experience. Born and raised in Thailand, she had the opportunity to do exchanges to England, Australia, and Nova Scotia, where she eventually fell in love with the Canadian atmosphere and brought her life to Simon Fraser University. As the Director of International Relations for AIESEC, she communicates with AIESEC chapters abroad, setting up and standardizing partnerships and internships. After hearing that I had barely stepped foot outside of Canada, she informed me why I should give it a try. “I think an exchange is the fastest way for people to grow,” she says. “Being thrown into an unfamiliar situation and being surrounded by strangers forces you to learn more about yourself, how you handle different situations, and what your true needs are.”
One might think a girl this busy would not be able to find any downtime. Chanittha disagrees. “I have to have my downtime,” she insists. “I try to make some time for myself before bed every day.” Whether that be meditating or reading self-improvement books in a hot foaming bubble bath, surrounded by an artful arrangement of beautifully-scented candles, it is always a learning process to figure out how much time is needed for herself and how to make that time.
To wrap up our conversation, I told her my plan to start the article with a whimsical introductory paragraph based on the refined feeling of her name. Her laughter rings as she informs me that it is precisely how her native Thai name sounds. How well-suited.