Kaeo’s Pathway: Finding the Chemistry Between Curiosity and Calm

When Kaeo tries to trace his story at Bangkok Patana School, he doesn’t start with a classroom or a report card. He starts with a residential trip. “I think the most interesting part of Primary School was residential,” he says, recalling the jump from a one-day trip in Year 3 to nearly a full week away in Year 5. For Kaeo, that stretch of days—spent learning independence, navigating unfamiliar routines, and, memorably, discovering that pizza is meant to be eaten with your hands—left a lasting impression. “It stuck with me,” he laughs, “I still remember it.”

That sense of quiet observation has followed Kaeo through nearly nine years at Patana, from the start of Year 5 to the final stretch of the IB Diploma Programme. His transition into Secondary School, he reflects, was less about academic difficulty and more about learning how to adapt. “There wasn’t a huge jump in content,” he says, “It was more the way things were done—having different teachers instead of just one. I learned how to specialise.”

By the time he reached the IB, that adaptability had matured into confidence. Where once teachers felt slightly intimidating, Kaeo now speaks about them as collaborators in his learning. “You can communicate better,” he says, “I like it more now than before.”

Academically, Kaeo’s pathway has been shaped by a clear affinity for logic and systems. At (I)GCSE, he took a broad mix of subjects, including Computer Science, Design and Technology, Business and Spanish, alongside Triple Award Science. But when it came time to choose his IB subjects, the pattern sharpened: Higher Level Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (AA), supported by Economics, English Language and Literature, and Spanish ab initio at Standard Level. “They just fit,” he says simply, “Maths, chemistry and physics—they all come together.”

That convergence ultimately led him to Chemical Engineering, the course he plans to pursue at university, with top choices including the University of Manchester, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

His interest in chemical engineering crystallised early in the IB, during a chemistry camp experiment led by his teacher, Mr Oakes. Kaeo still recalls the moment vividly: a bottle, a small amount of hydrogen and a sudden, thunderous launch towards the ceiling. “It scared me a bit,” he admits, “but I really liked it. It showed the real-life applications of chemistry.” He links that demonstration effortlessly to rocket propulsion and the Saturn V, noting how liquid hydrogen and oxygen power enormous systems through elegant chemical principles.

Equally influential was Mr Oakes, whose enthusiasm for chemistry proved contagious. “You could really feel it,” Kaeo says, “It made me want to learn outside of school—doing past paper questions, digging deeper. He made me enjoy chemistry.”

That curiosity extended beyond the classroom. Between Year 12 and Year 13, Kaeo completed a short internship at UTAC, a semiconductor firm in Bangkok, where he observed how chemical processes underpin microchip production. Wearing a full protective suit, not to protect himself, but the delicate instruments, he watched wafers being etched using chemical solvents and gained insight into both manufacturing and business operations. “It wasn’t just production,” he says, “I learned how products are developed and brought to market.”

His IB Chemistry Internal Assessment pushed him even further into complexity. Investigating the effect of citric acid on a Rochelle salt catalysis experiment, Kaeo tackled a topic no one at Patana had attempted before. “I had to read a ridiculous number of research papers,” he says. The results confirmed his hypothesis—citric acid slowed the reaction by binding to the catalyst—but explaining the data proved challenging. “There was nothing to compare it to,” he reflects. “That was hard, but also exciting.”

Beyond academics, Kaeo’s school life has been characteristically understated. He attended meetings of the BPS Economics Club, supported sustainability initiatives, and stepped into a student representative role when needed—sometimes, he admits, motivated by “free food”! But what he values most from his Senior years is balance. “IB is stressful,” he says, “but I learned how to deal with it. Time management—that’s something I’ll take with me.”

As he prepares to leave Patana, it’s the people he will miss most. “The teachers,” he says, without hesitation, “They guided me and supported me through everything.” Friends too, scattered soon across different universities, though he shrugs at the distance. “Maybe we’ll just call more.”

Quietly thoughtful and intellectually assured, Kaeo leaves Patana with a clear sense of direction—and the calm confidence of someone who knows exactly how different elements come together to make something work.

Congratulations Kaeo!