Helen’s Pathway: A Tide That Knows Its Direction

The future, for Helen, begins on the edge of the Pacific.

This autumn, Helen will cross continents, carrying with her a love of science shaped by saltwater, teamwork and curiosity. Committed to the University of Washington in Seattle, with offers also held in Hong Kong, Helen is set to double major in Oceanography and Biology — a choice that feels less like a decision and more like a natural current. “Land and sea are interconnected,” Helen explains, “You can’t protect one without understanding the other.”

It is a fitting next chapter for someone whose academic journey has always been guided by connection: between people, ecosystems and ideas.

Helen’s Bangkok Patana story begins in Year 8, Term 2 at Bangkok Patana School. “It wasn’t a normal experience,” Helen recalls, “But it was fun. And it was pretty cool.” Joining mid-year, during a time when schools were anything but typical (COVID) — Helen found community in unexpected places. By Term 3, back on campus, friendships began to form. “I created my own little social group and it just built from there,” she said.

If there was one force that truly anchored Helen at Patana, it was sport. Volleyball came first. “That’s what made me feel like part of the community,” she says. Helen found not only teammates but lifelong friends. “We’ve competed together since we were 12 or 13. We were always on the same team.” Basketball soon followed, reinforcing a sense of shared purpose. “We worked towards the same goal,” Helen reflects, “That mattered.”

Belonging came through Sport and purpose through Science.

The moment that changed everything arrived quietly, in a classroom lesson on global warming. “None of my friends really understood why it affected me so much,” Helen admits, “But I suddenly understood how humans were disturbing ocean habitats.” That curiosity deepened through independent research, late‑night articles, and a paper on coral bleaching and sunscreen chemicals, inspired by a study from Tsinghua University. “How could something so ordinary impact an entire ecosystem?” she wondered.

The question became action. Helen authored a research paper for the STEM Youth Writing Competition as part of SCIENTIA competition, earning recognition and — more importantly — momentum. Diving soon followed. Licensed alongside a friend from the Patana Marine Conservation Group, Helen saw bleached coral firsthand. “That was when it became real,” she says.

From there, Helen launched a grassroots awareness project with a diving instructor from Thai Ocean Academy, promoting reef‑safe practices — especially sunscreen use. From online campaigns to a pop‑up stall at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya, Helen found herself speaking directly to the public. On World Oceans Day, supported by Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Helen even presented the project to the Mayor of Pattaya. “It started small,” she says, “But it grew.”

Her curiosity didn’t stop at the shoreline. Through an internship at Chulalongkorn University, Helen shifted her research inland, studying the effects of UV‑filter chemicals on freshwater cyanobacteria. “Everything is interconnected. You can’t isolate ecosystems,” she explained. The findings reinforced what scientists already suspected: mineral‑based sunscreens cause less harm — but no solution is perfect.

Parallel to her scientific journey ran another, quieter thread: performance. Before Science, there was Drama. “I loved theatre,” Helen says, “It helped me express emotions I didn’t know how to express as myself.” Through IGCSE Drama, character work, and later exposure to film therapy, Helen discovered the power of storytelling as a tool for understanding human relationships. “I realised everything I was interested in came back to interaction — humans with each other, and humans with the environment.”

At Patana, teachers noticed. “Mr Burrell encouraged me to go beyond the syllabus; to explore the real world,” Helen said. Biology trips to Khao Yai National Park, internships in research labs and hospitals, and unwavering support from her Year group shaped her final years. “It felt safe,” she reflects, “Supportive. Like we were all in it together.”

Now, as Helen prepares to leave school behind, the tide is unmistakable.

“I don’t just want to study nature,” she says, “I want to understand our relationship with it.”

And that, perhaps, is what makes Helen’s pathway so compelling: not just where it leads — but how thoughtfully, and courageously, it has been navigated.