A swinging success! Year 13 Regents student and golf star Thonsaeng earns a full-ride scholarship to The University of Texas Permian Basin in the United States

Thonsaeng, also known as Nua, joined the Year 12 Regents cohort in 2020 on our Regents Lions Signature Scholarship Programme and was enrolled onto the Regents Diploma; an inclusive, alternative pathway to the IBDP for students in Years 10-12. The Regents Diploma was developed to offer a highly personalised, bespoke programme for students like Nua, who want to achieve maximum success and take away recognisable qualifications when they leave school.

Nua first tried his hand at golf when he was just 3 years old and stated that he had been in love with the game ever since then, claiming multiple top tournament results not just in Thailand but all over the world. He has worked his way up to earning the 16^th spot in the Thai national rankings and has taken home trophies from several prestigious tournaments: 3^rd place at the FCG Collegiate Summer Series, 1^st place at the Faldo Series Thailand and 17^th place at the 2021 FCG International Championships San Diego.

At Regents, Nua committed to studying 6 subjects with the Regents Diploma and presented his academic profile, alongside his track record of success in golf to universities, as well as coaches in the States. This is what helped him achieve a 100% scholarship to The University of Texas Permian Basin.

“When I first received the offer from the coach who recruited me, it felt fantastic! I was very surprised because I wasn’t expecting to receive that huge of a scholarship. There are 2 parts to it: 80% for golf and 20% for academics."

Nua describes himself as ambitious, passionate, calm, patient and determined; and his ultimate goal is to become a professional golfer after he graduates from college. His advice to other students who would like to follow his path is to “Keep working hard and dedicate yourself to it. Scholarships can be for both academics and sports. No matter which university you are going to, you can be great anywhere.”

Ms Amos Turner-Wardell, Head of Secondary said “We are all incredibly proud of Nua, I remember meeting him at the Faldo golf series a few years ago, and we talked about the Regents Pathway being a great choice for him to support him on his journey to getting a scholarship to college in America. He has been a great addition to Regents and we will look forward to hearing about his successes in the future.”

We would like to congratulate Nua on this fantastic achievement and can’t wait to hear about his time at university next year.