Two Patana Students Honoured with The Diana Award
Congratulations to Turbo and Yoochan
Bangkok Patana School is delighted to celebrate two exceptional students, Vachiravich ‘Turbo’ Phantratanamongkol (Grad’26) and Yoochan Hwang (Grad’26), who have been recognised with The Diana Award, one of the highest accolades a young person can receive for social action and humanitarian work. The award acts as a living legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world. The award recognises young people who are creating positive change in their communities and inspiring others through service, leadership and innovation. For Turbo and Yoochan, it is the culmination of years of dedication to projects that address real-world challenges while empowering others to make a difference.
Brighter Future
Turbo has built an impressive record as a social entrepreneur focused on expanding educational opportunities for underserved communities. Through Brighter Future, the student-led organisation he founded, his team has provided free educational support, literacy resources and interactive STEM programmes for underprivileged children across Thailand. He also created Brighter Building, an educational Python programming game designed to make coding and STEM learning more accessible to young people, and established Brightly Beaming, a community-driven digital library that helps bridge gaps in access to educational resources.
His commitment to service has already earned national and international recognition, including Thailand’s King’s Outstanding Youth Award and support through the IB Global Youth Action Fund.
United Wardrobe Project
Yoochan’s award-winning initiative, the United Wardrobe Project, tackles one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges: textile waste and the impact of fast fashion. Through clothing donations and circular economy solutions, the student-led project has collected more than 20,000 clothing items, preventing over 290,000 kilograms of CO₂ emissions and saving more than 106 million litres of water. The initiative has expanded across schools in Thailand and India, creating opportunities for young people to lead sustainable action while supporting communities in need. By connecting environmental responsibility with practical community support, Yoochan demonstrated how student-led initiatives can create both social and environmental impact on an international scale. The initiative was officially selected by the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste as one of three standout global initiatives helping to make the fashion industry circular.
As Bangkok Patana celebrates its 70th anniversary, the achievements of Turbo and Yoochan reflect values that have shaped our community for generations. For seven decades, the School has encouraged students to look beyond themselves, act with compassion and contribute meaningfully to the world around them. Through community engagement programmes within and beyond the curriculum and through a range of community partnerships, students are encouraged to identify needs, take action and develop projects that create lasting impact in communities both locally and globally.
Turbo and Yoochan exemplify this spirit. Their initiatives are different in focus, but united by a shared commitment to improving the lives of others, whether through expanding access to education or promoting environmental sustainability. Both have shown that meaningful change often begins with a simple idea, a willingness to take action and the determination to see it through.
Their achievements are also a powerful reminder of what young people can accomplish when they combine empathy with leadership and purpose. As a school community, we are immensely proud of what they have achieved and the positive impact they continue to make.
