Ricky’s Pathway
Route to Business, One Step at a Time
When Ricky first stepped into Bangkok Patana School as a Year 5 student, school was mostly about fun, friends and play. “There wasn’t any pressure back then,” he recalls with a laugh, “Primary was just about enjoying the moment.” But over the next nine years, Ricky’s journey would evolve from carefree days on the playground to a focused pursuit of business and finance, shaped by both his family roots and the opportunities he seized at school. “My family is in international jewellery,” Ricky explains, “but it wasn’t like they ever told me I had to do business. I think just being around it from a young age, going into the office, listening to conversations, I saw what it was like. It made sense to me.”
As Ricky moved into Secondary School, he remembers feeling a little overwhelmed in Year 7. “Once I settled in, I actually found I preferred Secondary to Primary. It felt more purposeful.” That sense of purpose strengthened over time. Ricky gravitated toward business-related subjects and eventually chose Higher Level Business Management, Economics and Math Applications and Interpretations (AI) for his IB Diploma Programme. “I found business and economics the most applicable to the real world,” he says. “You can read about something in the newspaper and link it back to what you’re learning in class.” Ricky also valued how Bangkok Patana’s academic structure, particularly the (I)GCSE years, helped him grow. “I don’t think the subjects was the hard part. It was the exam system, the pressure, the time management, all of that which helped prepare me for IB.”
Outside the classroom, Ricky’s interest in finance and entrepreneurship led him to take on multiple leadership roles. He joined the Super Satang Club in Year 11 and became its co-president in Year 12, helping lead discussions around financial literacy and investment. He also participated in Horizon Gen, a student-run investment club where members compete against other schools in simulated stock trading. “That one was a great way to apply finance in a competitive setting,” Ricky says, “It made everything I was learning feel real.” His entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop at school clubs. Alongside a friend, Ricky co-founded KIC (Kicks in Care), a charitable initiative that turned abstract art from children in an orphanage into wearable fashion, printing their artwork onto t-shirts and shoes to raise funds for art supplies and continued programming. “We wanted the kids to keep painting, even if finances made that hard,” he explains, “So we helped create something sustainable.”
And that wasn’t all. Ricky also took part in a Stanford-led programme called Silicon Valley Moonshots, which involved mentoring younger students through the process of creating business ideas and pitching them. “Teaching helped me understand business better myself,” he says. “When you have to explain something, you realise how well you actually know it.” While business has always been the goal, Ricky also found time for sports, playing JV basketball in Year 11 and taking part in Varsity Track and Field in Year 12. “They weren’t my biggest contributions,” he says modestly, “but they helped balance everything out.”
One of the most meaningful parts of his Patana journey, however, was completing all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE). “DofE was honestly one of the best parts of school,” he says. “Cycling through Chiang Mai for Gold, staying in hostels with my friends, it was way more uncomfortable than a residential trip, but also more memorable. You learn resilience. You learn how to be with people in different settings.”
Now, as Ricky looks ahead to studying Finance at Chulalongkorn University, he’s approaching the next chapter with a grounded sense of purpose. “I’m excited, but I know university is going to be very different from school,” he says. “I’ve had nine years at Patana to grow, to make mistakes, to figure out what I want. Now it’s time to apply that.”
Though he may be stepping into a new environment, Ricky isn’t stepping into the unknown. He’s carrying forward a clear direction, years of practical exposure and the quiet confidence of someone who’s been preparing for this moment all along. “I’ll miss the little things,” he adds. “The casual basketball games, the study sessions with friends, the random conversations in the Senior Studies. But I think Patana has done what it was meant to, it’s helped me find my path.”
And for Ricky, that path leads straight into a future he’s not only ready for, but already building.
