PONNAPAT & PATTARAPORN: IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

FACULTY WORLDWIDE

Ponnapat and Pattaraporn Watjanatepin are from Nonthaburi in Thailand. After completing their secondary studies at the international Global English School in Bangkok, they decided to continue their education on the other side of the planet. Brother and sister are studying Biochemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Technology of KU Leuven. She in the bachelor’s programme, he in the master’s.

Ponnapat arrived in 2012 in Leuven. “Because I was used to study in an international environment at home and familiar with English as a language of instruction, I decided to pursue higher education in a country where English isn’t the official language”, Ponnapat explains. “As luck would have it, in 2011 we were host family to a Belgian student who was staying in Thailand as a part of an exchange programme with a school in Leopoldsburg. He told us a lot about Europe, Belgium, Flanders and KU Leuven. At Campus Group T in Leuven, he told us, the engineering programmesare offered entirely in English in a country that is not. That was exactly what I was looking for.”

Pushing boundaries

In 2014 Pattaraporn joined her brother in Leuven. When asked what made her leave her familiar surroundings and step into the unknown, her answer is clear. “Push boundaries, gain experience abroad, discover new things, improve career opportunities and collaborate with Belgian and other international students.”

Brother and sister found their way easily in Belgium. “Belgium may not be English-speaking officially, but we noticed that nearly everybody speaks English, especially in Leuven. People are friendly and helpful and the cuisine is much more appetizing and varied than the American fore we, in Thailand, know as Western food.

International family

“KU Leuven and Campus Groep T in particular have a major advantage”, says Ponnapat. “They are compact, so you are constantly running into each other.” “Furthermore, the educational approach is very attractive. Not only lectures but also seminars, labs and practical sessions are organized. They all culminate in the Engineering Experiences, the interdisciplinary team-based projects that present you with open and challenging assignments and allow you to go all out.”

“Campus Group T can be considered as one big international family”, Pattaraporn continues. “The concentration of so many international students produces a cosmopolitan atmosphere that is rarely found elsewhere. Not only among students but also between students and professors the contact is very informal. If you have a problem or something is unclear, you can always take it to your prof. Also, there is a sound study guidance service and you can make use of an elaborate assortment of student facilities. And – last but not least – there is a professional International Office helping you with your application and accommodation.”

“Add to this the global expertise that Campus Group T and KU Leuven in general have accumulated and you find yourself in a really attractive learning and living environment. Many Belgian students don’t realise how thoroughly spoilt they are. They don’t even have to move to experience other continents, nationalities and cultures”, Ponnapat says.

Life science

Brother and sister are determined to become Master in Biochemical Engineering Technology. Ponnapat is dreaming of a career in an international company. Pattaraporn’s preference is research. “Biology, living beings and life sciences have always fascinated me more than machines and computers. It is my hope that as a biochemical engineer I can contribute my bit to dealing with big world problems like famine, disease, child mortality, the degradation of the environment and climate change. My profession and that of my brother will be engineering for a better life.”

Yves Persoons