Self-Introduction
Daramongkul Keo is a 1st generation student, who graduated from Paragon International University in 2015. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. After graduating from Paragon International University, he is now pursuing a master’s degree in Global Innovation. Currently, he is working at International Labour Organization (ILO) as a communication officer.
After finishing high school, Mongkul was interested in International Relations (IR) major. He decided to study IR mainly because he was interested in history and he always has a passion to work in NGOs.
Journey at Paragon.U
Among other universities in Cambodia, Mongkul has had an eye on Paragon International University. Back then, Paragon.U had just opened which was formerly known as Zaman International University. With the school reputation of Zaman High School, the curriculum the university offered, and the top-notch facilities at the time, he decided to pursue his bachelor’s degree with Paragon.U.
For Mongkul, his university life at Paragon.U was one of the most memorable years of his life. He made lifelong friends, grew into adulthood, and meet professors who were also mentors and lifelong lessons that have been instrumental for his progress in his professional career.
One of the most memorable memories during his time at the university was when he had an international trip to a conference in Malaysia with some of his professors and his classmate. At that time, they were all suited up to join the conferences and directly learned from experts across Asia. Moreover, it was also the first international seminar for him and most of his classmates, and an eye-opening opportunity for him.
As a student at Paragon.U, Mongkul was very active and interested in a lot of projects, volunteers, and internships. He had participated in Conflict Resolution Simulations such as the Ukraine-Russia Peace Negotiations, seminars/conferences abroad, internship at Mekong dialogue, and other volunteer works.
Career Journey
Mongkul kicked off his first professional career through an internship at an INGO called the Asia Foundation. Since then, he has fallen in love with working with NGOs and loves how he could work and contribute directly to society. Currently, he is a communication officer at the International Labour Organization. He is also very grateful for the path and people he has met that teach him life lessons in these 5 years since he graduated.
For Mongkul, working for the United Nations can be very challenging as what he does and how he carries reflect the organization. Not to mention the regulation, policy, guidelines that he has to adapt/learn, and the various stakeholders that he has to work with in order to implement his work.
While facing these difficulties, the things that motivate him to continuously learn and be optimistic are the supportive and caring colleagues that he is working with, the importance of his work, and how it’s contributing to the improvement of better working conditions and livelihood for others in Cambodia. For him, the skills and knowledge that are important in his career are communication skills, project management skills, and innovation.
Advice for Juniors
“I would say, explore and expose yourself to as many opportunities as you can. No jobs or tasks are too small, you will always learn something new. Read more and watch less. Connect, thrive to always be better, see how you can also help others along the way, and enjoy your university life (it’s one of the best years of your life).”