By: Sokny Leang & Sievmey Sok
Khun Nimunnak is an alumnus of Paragon International University, majoring in Civil Engineering from the Class of 2019. He is pursuing his further study specialized in structure design in UMASS Lowel in the United States in late 2019 and early 2020. Due to the pandemic, Mr. Nimunnak returned home during the summer break and decided to suspend his study and work for Hyundai Engineering Constructing Aeon Mall 3 in Phnom Penh. After a year of working, and as the situation allows, he recently resigned and continued his education.
Throughout his adolescence, when he was in high school, he was fascinated by how the buildings were built and how they could stand firmly on the ground. He is also attracted by how the city sprawls and people construct high-rise buildings, so he decided to contribute himself to this firm. During his senior year of high school, he decided to start looking for an Engineering School. Paragon International University, formerly known as Zaman University, was one of his top picked universities by considering the school’s profile, background, curriculum, and qualified professors.
Journey at Paragon.U
His journey with ParagonU was pleasant regardless of the sleepless nights which university students have gone through. Studying at ParagonU, he would say that it was a very challenging but strength-building experience. Academic professors, student support units, senior students, and the university staff are accommodating and reachable.
Work experience
Before graduating, he participated in many school activities, counting from being a university’s ambassador to an internship and part-time job. He used to be part of the STEM and University Fairs representing his department and ParagonU. He was a Student Ambassador of ParagonU for two years in a row, a teaching assistant for a semester, an internship as a site engineer for three months, and working as a draftsman for two months.
To get into the construction field, he needed to build and use all the skill sets mentioned above; building good connections, establishing a solid reputation for himself with good academic background, and continuously enhancing his skills.
After graduating from Paragon International University, he started his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering specializing in Structural Design in UMASS Lowell in the United States in late 2019 and early 2020. Unfortunately, when he returned home during the summer vacation, his school had switched to fully online class mode due to the pandemic. That is why he decided to put his academics on hold and start working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He spent almost a year with Hyundai Engineering Constructing Aeon Mall 3 before resigning to continue his education.
The knowledge and skills he got from those experiences have proven highly beneficial and have given him an advantage over his peers. Because he has been working and studying simultaneously, he was able to form a good habit of being active and diligent, which is critical to be successful in both working and studying. Most significantly, he can quickly adjust to new situations in the workplace.
Last but not least, his advice for the junior is that “University is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It will determine your career path and abilities over four years. I wish that all high school graduates, particularly freshmen at ParagonU, could begin to take university seriously. Be involved, form social bonds, completely grasp your curriculum, study hard to maintain a decent GPA, and take advantage of all chances available to you at university. Because they are crucial whether you intend to continue your education or begin working.”
