The support Pone once received, she now gives to others
After graduating from Parami University in June, Pone Nyet Aung has returned to the university, not as a student, but as an Academic Advisor. Now, she supports and guides current Parami students, offering the same encouragement and guidance she once received as a student. Her own experience has taught her that growth often begins with discomfort.
Pone is a recent graduate of Parami University’s Class of 2026 and majored in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). She now works as an academic advisor through the Global Community Fellowship, a collaboration between Volunteers in Asia and Parami University. In her role, she supports students as they work toward their graduation requirements and build meaningful university experiences.
When students come to Pone Nyet Aung for guidance, they may be thinking about course registration, graduation requirements, classroom participation, or managing the demands of university life. Pone understands that these questions are rarely only academic. She has asked many of them herself.
"I would like to be a go-to person for students the way my advisors were for me," she shares. "Someone who helps make sure they stay on track to fulfill their graduation requirements and have a meaningful university experience, just as I did."
Outside work, Pone enjoys running, taking long walks, petting cats, and trying new sweet pastries. Her interests also extend to migration, education, and mental health areas that connect closely with her work and the questions she continues to explore. Her experiences at the Get Engaged Conference in Germany, the Learning Across Borders program, a summer program at Central European University, and an internship in the United States broadened the settings in which she could explore those interests. Leading the EvolveMinds Club gave her another way to put them into practice within the Parami community.
During her time at Parami, she was actively involved in mental health advocacy and peer support as president of the EvolveMinds Club, where she helped create a safe and empathetic space for students to share their experiences and support one another. Her commitment to community well-being and social issues was also recognized in her second year, when she received the 2024 Civic Engagement Award for her dedication to addressing pressing social issues and inspiring others to engage in meaningful civic activities. These experiences continue to shape her interest in community well-being, empathy, and supportive environments, and they inform how she now supports students as an academic advisor.
Learning to become truly educated
Choosing Parami was not an easy decision.
Before joining the university, Pone had already secured a good teaching job based on her experience, even though she did not yet have formal qualifications. At first, she expected university to be a straightforward path to graduation and a certificate.
That expectation changed within her first semester. "I learned that it might be easy to earn a certificate, but it is not easy to become truly educated," she recalls. "So within about four months, I changed my mind: I wanted to be educated not to feel superior to others, but because I genuinely wanted to keep learning and exploring.”
Pone began to see the value of a liberal arts education in the freedom to explore different fields before deciding on a major. At Parami, students spend their first two years exploring a wide range of courses and ideas. For Pone, that experience nurtured her curiosity and helped her understand what she wanted to study and who she wanted to become.
After exploring different options, she chose Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), initially focusing on economics. But her interests continued to grow through community initiatives and civic engagement. Over time, she realized that education had become her strongest interest.
"Even though PPE remained my formal major, I ended up focusing much of my learning and energy on education," she explains. "In many ways, this was an example of the liberal arts spirit at Parami, where a major provides structure, but curiosity is allowed to lead."
After she began her studies at Parami, Pone took part in the Learning Across Borders program, an exchange developed in collaboration with Japanese students. That was her first international trip. During the program, she traveled to Mae Sot, where she met political science professors, practitioners, and people whose lives had been deeply affected by Myanmar's political turmoil.
The experience showed her how much there was to learn beyond the classroom. It also influenced the direction of her senior capstone thesis, which became a mentorship program for students in Mae Sot. Through that work, her interest in migration and education grew stronger.
"I realized these were things I might never have learned if I had not chosen Parami," she notes. "It confirmed that I had made the right decision."
A community that taught her to listen
For Pone, belonging at Parami was built through ordinary moments. She remembers sitting with friends, talking about their courses and life in general. She remembers gathering with faculty during graduation. These experiences helped her feel that she had made the right decision to stay, even when she had doubts.
As a member of Parami’s inaugural class, Pone was entering a new institution while also coming from a business school background. She was not immediately certain that a liberal arts education would be the right fit for her. Over time, her classmates, faculty members, and advisors helped her see the value of the community she was building.
"It is difficult to name one particular person who influenced me throughout my years at Parami," she admits. "Every professor, advisor, and classmate I met along the way shaped me in different ways."
Her close friends played an especially important role. They listened to her, supported her, and helped her whenever they could. Watching the way people showed up for one another also made Pone reflect on her own place in the community.
"Before then, I had never really thought about that," she reflects. "I was focused mainly on whether I was okay, with little space left for thinking about others. The Parami community taught me how to be empathetic, humble, and grounded."
That lesson now informs her work as an academic advisor. As a student, Pone often turned to her advisors for help with courses, assignments, and extracurricular activities. She describes them as "go-to people," almost like older sisters, and remembers their consistent support.
Now, she hopes to offer that same sense of care and reliability to current students.
Carrying student experience into advising
Pone settled into her advising role quickly because she had spent four years experiencing Parami as a student. She understands the importance of having someone who can listen, explain, and help students make decisions when university life feels overwhelming.
She also understands the difficult circumstances many Parami students manage alongside their studies. Electricity cutoffs, internet disruptions, political turmoil, floods, and earthquakes can all affect a student’s ability to learn and participate. Pone has experienced these challenges herself not as an observer, but as a student trying to complete her own work.
"Having once been in their position, and knowing how difficult it is to manage circumstances beyond one's control, I try to be a steady, helpful resource and someone who can at least listen," she points out.
Her own experience also helps her understand the uncertainty students may feel when they begin a liberal arts education or study in English. When students struggle to adjust, Pone can reassure them that these feelings are not signs that they do not belong.
"Sitting with that discomfort is simply part of growing," she observes.
One recent advising conversation brought this lesson close to home. A student told Pone that she found it difficult to speak in class and express her ideas clearly. Pone recognized the feeling immediately. She remembered being a younger version of herself, afraid that her ideas might be wrong and often choosing to remain silent instead of speaking up.
Pone also remembered a professor who had once told the class that it was acceptable to say something wrong. What mattered was having the courage to speak and share an idea.
She shared that experience with the student and encouraged her to notice the discomfort rather than allowing it to stop her. Pone believes students’ fear of being wrong can be shaped by the cultural and political contexts in which they grew up. Learning to speak, question, and participate can therefore be an important part of personal growth.
As an academic advisor, she hopes to help amplify students’ voices, support their resilience, and remind them of their own ability to grow.
Growing alongside students
Pone does not see herself as someone who has finished learning. She is still becoming the kind of professional and community member she hopes to be: more empathetic, a better listener, and humbler in the way she works with students and the wider Parami community.
"I would like to be someone who helps my community grow intellectually," she expresses. "I hope to contribute to a community that is always welcoming and warm to one another, grounded in kindness, humility, and groundedness."
Her advice to current and prospective Parami students is simple but not always easy to follow: do not mistake difficulty for failure.
"As I always say, sitting with discomfort is a sign of growth," she emphasizes. "When you are facing difficulties and struggling, these are signs that you are growing into the person you want to become."
She encourages students to take opportunities when they arise, give back to their communities, and make the most of the time they share with friends and the people around them.
For Pone, the journey from student to academic advisor is a journey of continuing the support she once received. She is grateful to now stand on the other side of the advising relationship to listen, guide, and help students navigate experiences that she understands personally.
"To the students: it is truly a privilege to witness your growth and resilience alongside you," she concludes. "I am deeply grateful to be in a position I once only dreamed of, one where I get to help students the way I was once helped."
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