At Xavier Learning Community (XLC) in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, 24-year-old Wassana found opportunity and community.
“The Jesuits, teachers, and students at XLC are very kind,” she says. “They welcomed me and encouraged me to learn here. That’s why I came to love this place.”
Born in a small Lanna Thai village, Wassana’s parents are farmers who grow sticky rice to eat and sell. When her father became ill, her family struggled to support her education.
“I am so lucky to study here. Now I can speak English, and I have a chance for my future.”
Wassana
“Before I came here, my family had many problems,” she says. “My father was sick, and my mother worked alone,” she recalls. “So studying here has been an amazing opportunity for me. Everything at XLC is free, the food, the dormitory, and the study, which eases the stress on my family.”
Since joining XLC in 2020, Wassana has gained skills and confidence and found purpose. She has learnt English, and grown independence.
“We live together like a family. We cook together, farm together, and help each other. Even though we come from different tribes, we understand and learn from one another.”
Her favourite part of XLC is meeting international volunteers. “We learn new cultures and languages together from Australians, Koreans, Japanese and Indonesians. It’s really broadened my global perspective.”
In 2023, Wassana was chosen to represent XLC at World Youth Day in Lisbon – the first in her family to travel overseas.
“I am so lucky to study here,” she says. “Now I can speak English, and I have a chance for my future.”
Today, that future has already taken flight. Having just finished her studies, Wassana is now an Intensive English Program teacher for kindergarten and primary students in Lampang, Thailand.
Thanks to the generosity of our Jesuit Mission supporters, XLC provides free, holistic education to nearly 100 students each year, empowering young people like Wassana to build sustainable futures for themselves, their families and their communities. Find out more about this program
This story comes from Reflections Summer 2026.
Contents include:
- A future takes flight in Thailand
- Honouring dignity in Cambodia
- Healing with heart in Timor-Leste
- Finding safety and hope in the midst of war, Ukraine
- Lighting the way through education in Myanmar
- Fr Bob’s Fifty Years in Hazaribag
