The decision to study in a foreign country is not one an individual takes lightly. It's not one that Wunvimul Benjakul took lightly.

Benjakul knew when she left her homeland of Thailand that she would have to put forth much self-control, self-discipline and self-determination to complete the School's PhD program.

“Making this decision wasn't a scary one,” she says, “but I realized before coming to the United States that I was going to have to work very hard to accomplish my goals.”

She completed her baccalaureate degree in nursing and midwifery from the Faculty of Nursing-Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand in 1984 before becoming a staff nurse. For four years, Benjakul provided nursing care for adults in the surgical ward of the Songklanakarind Hospital , which is located in the southern region of Thailand . She then followed her passion to teach and worked as an instructor at the Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University through 1988.

Benjakul realized to teach at the Prince of Songkla University upon her return, she would have to merge two PhD programs into one course of study. In her home country, the nursing school is divided into eight departments with each department regulating how many and course of study for each PhD-prepared faculty it employs. For Benjakul to complete her PhD in infection control nursing, she would also have to be prepared to handle pediatric cases because that's the department her PhD specialty falls under in Thailand.

Between U.S. and Thai laws, Benjakul would only have six years to accomplish this monumental task all the while learning a new language, new customs and being far from her family. When the six-year deadline grew near and her course of study not completed, she had another monumental decision to make. Return to Thailand without her degree or stay in the United States , finish her degree and take on the added responsibility of an outside job.

Thai instructors pursuing advance degrees still receive their faculty stipend while they are away attending school – as long as they complete that degree within a six-year period. After this time period, the student/instructor loses their stipend and the financial responsibility becomes their own.

“As a nursing faculty member in my country, it is necessary to pursue an advance degree,” Benjakul says. “It is essential as well as beneficial to my students, patients and institution.”

So with a job and a little financial support from her mother, she decided to stay. Her decision has made her push herself even harder to make everything balance and several times her health has suffered greatly. However, she says, she takes every day moment by moment and allows her faith in God to sustain her through these difficult times.

“I let God lead me everyday,” Benjakul says. “I pray and ask for the wisdom, enthusiasm, vitality, endurance and perseverance in order to live my life every moment.”

The Fund the Drive for Nurses scholarship she received this fall has bought textbooks and paid for rent. “It has reduced my financial burden.”

Benjakul is defending her dissertation next month and plans on returning home at the end of this year.

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