 My name is Ryan Bradley and I'm a 2021 New Colombo Plan Infosys Scholar for Thailand. I'm a graduate mechatronics engineer from Edith County University in Western Australia. Right now I'm studying to learn, read, write and speak Thai with Duke Language School in Bangkok, Thailand. Also I'm working on an internship with King Mongkwit's University in Lukrabang where I'm working on a robotics and AI project. I applied for the New Colombo Plan because I believe it's an excellent pathway to achieve my career objective of utilizing critical thinking to solve worldwide engineering problems. Furthermore, I think the New Colombo Plan offers a really unique opportunity to build character resilience and skills throughout Asia that you can't really get by living and studying in Australia. I chose to come to Thailand for the New Colombo Plan because it has a large existing and rapidly developing automotive industry which ties directly with my field of mechatronics engineering. I should be able to utilize the network and the experiences I've gained in Thailand already to help me work on projects here in the future. For me the most rewarding part of the New Colombo Plan scholarship has been connecting to the local Thai people who are very kind-hearted, also exploring the beautiful culture and language in Thailand. New Colombo Plan has given me the opportunity to think about life and working in a country other than Australia. There's really a lot to explore and it's really opened my mind to opportunities throughout the world. My most valuable experience in Thailand has been learning the local language which has allowed me to create authentic experiences and relationships with local Thai people and also create networks which I can use in the future. During my free time I enjoy going to Benjakiti Park which is one of the parks near my condo and one of the many beautiful parks in Thailand. I enjoy going for walks or exercising around the park and just seeing the scenery and relaxing. For anyone considering applying to the New Colombo Plan I would suggest just taking the leap and applying for the scholarship. It's one of the best ways to start studying in Asia and it also opens many pathways to kickstart your career on the international stage, build your character and gain some unique skills and experiences in Asia. From my New Colombo Plan experience I'll be taking back to Australia a large and extensive network of skilled people which I can use in the future to connect with and work on projects. Also I'll be bringing back the skills and the experiences that I've gained whilst studying and working here and I'll continue to build these networks and skills during my New Colombo Plan scholarship in India and Japan also. After finishing the New Colombo Plan I will be returning back to Western Australia and continuing my career as a mechatronics engineer after which after perhaps a few years of continuing my career I'll be looking at working in projects between countries so ideally in the Indo-Pacific region such as Thailand and residing in those countries as well.