The Staff

Htoo Mai - Program Manager

"WH is a great program, where the students open the doors of equality, diversity and respect. Through experiential learning they find ways to understand and improve their communities with skills and knowledge. It is not only a path to an academic destiny for the students; it is a place for them to nurture their dedication to serve their peoples’ needs”.

Htoo Mai is the Program Coordinator at Wide Horizons and has been with the program since 2011. Htoo Mai is from Kachin State in Northern Myanmar, where he finished his B.A. in Law at the University of Myintkyina. In 2007, Htoo Mai left his native home in Myanmar and moved to the Thai side of the Thai-Myanmar border. In Thailand, he attended a one year intensive course with the English Immersion Program (EIP), which he completed in 2009. The following year, he did an internship with the American Refugee Committee, where he was working on a micro-enterprise development project. Later, he was hired as Field Officer by The Border Consortium (TBC), before finally finding his way to WH. Htoo Mai likes teaching, but as the coordinator of the program, he already has a full plate and plenty of responsibilities. When he does find the time to relax, this usually happens with a guitar or a fishing rod in his hand or by reading the latest news of the world.  
   

Maung Myo Htun –  Coordinator

 

“Do you want to see how many beautiful flowers can grow in the same garden? If you say yes, just take the time to visit Wide Horizons and you will be really happy and proud of the Wide Horizons Students and of what they are doing”.

  
Maung Myo Htun is the Intern/StudentCoordinator at Wide Horizons and is himself a former WH student. He arrived in Mae La Oon refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border from Karen State 11 years ago. In the camp, he finished his studies at theYaung Ni Oo High School in 2010. After his studies, he worked as a laboratory staff member at the Mae La Oon hospital. In 2011 he came to Mae Sot and worked as an intern at the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners(AAPP). After working with AAPP for one year, he enrolled in the Wide Horizons program for the 2012-13 academic year. Today, he is working as the program’s Intern/StudentCoordinator. He is to be happy to work with his former teachers and coordinator and with the new students.


Jordan Pescrillo – English Language Instructor

Wide Horizons is everything an educational program should be: hands on, challenging, and dynamic. I am inspired daily seeing the students take such a unique experience head on so they can be the change they wish to see on the border and within Burma." 

Jordan is the English Language instructor at Wide Horizons. She comes from Buffalo, New York, USA, where she studied Global Studies and Education. After university, she assisted Burmese refugees from various ethnic groups in schools and was the education advocate at a local refugee resettlement agency. Thanks to a great professor, she heard about the amazing opportunities in Mae Sot teaching Burmese refugees and migrants and decided it was time to move to Asia and see the situation she had heard so much about. She has been working in Mae Sot for one year. Apart from teaching, she likes to hang out with her cat Pinky, run alongside the rice paddies, and listen to loud rock and roll music. 


Lew Pik-Svonn – Community Development Instructor

"I'm so glad there's a school like Wide Horizons that has strategically chosen to focus on building capacity. When I hear stories of past students doing extraordinary work in their communities, I know I have come to the right place. Their motivation and eagerness to learn means they are serious about playing a role in shaping a bright future for Burma." 

 

Pik-Svonn is the Community Development Instructor at Wide Horizons. She constantly questions status quo and has been actively pushing for more democratic freedom and spaces through various social movements in her home country, Malaysia. In 2009, she co-founded a non-profit organization, Kota Kita, to work with underprivileged youth and marginalized communities. Using art and community mapping as primary tools, she has led award-winning community projects like Projek Chow Kit Kita, and has been invited to share these projects in Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and Mexico. Apart from that, she also conducts various workshops for civil society, builds online platforms to promote volunteerism, and is the prime mover of the 'Pasar Percuma' (Free Market) movement. She is equally as passionate about fashion, lipsticks, music and movies. She dreams about being in an all-girl punk rock band. 

Saw Aung Pyi Moe – Computer Instructor

"Wide Horizons means unity because it allows many different ethnic groups to share their culture, ideas and experiences. Unity is the most important thing for our country. Today, many Wide Horizons alumni are communicating with each other and are working on development projects all over Myanmar."

 
Saw Aung Pyi Moe is the part-time Computer Instructor at Wide Horizons, where he teaches on the weekends. He has been working with the programsince 2013 and is now teaching his second batch of students. As a child, Aung Pyi Moe lived in a small village in Myanmar while the civil war was raging.Eventhough it was incredibly difficult to go to school during this time, he still managed and in 2008 he graduated from Doo Playar High School. Afterwards he moved to Mae Sot in Thailand, where he found a job at Mae Tao Clinic. AungPyi Moe is himself a Wide Horizons graduate and as soon as he graduated in 2013, he was hired as the program’s new Computer Instructor. During the week he works as Mae Tao Clinic’s Global Fund Malaria Project Coordinator.


Aung Than – Office Assistant 

  

Sigurd – Security

 

Former Wide Horizons Teachers

... And what they have to say about the program.

Andrew Rice Kerr - Community Development Instructor (2013 - 2015) 

 

"Teaching at Wide Horizons is, I'm quite sure, one of the very best jobs I'll ever have. The opportunity to work together with such motivated students, who are so committed to tackling the significant challenges their communities face, is one I'll cherish forever." 


 Ruth Ranjan – English Language Instructor (2014 -2015)

"Their eyes just light up - every day - they are so hungry to learn about everything! They are working ridiculously hard and facing challenges head-on because they want to personally make their world a better place - for themselves, their families, their communities and ultimately, for each other - regardless of ethnicity. Their motivation is changing it up. Their weapon is education. Truly inspiring."

Kristian Kopp – English  Language Instructor/Community Development Instructor (2012 - 2015)

"Wide Horizons is like a big family with hundreds of members. It is amazing to see what our students achieve during their year at the program and even more so, what they achieve after they graduate. It is truly inspirational”.