On 22 March 2013, Mr. Daranphop Phuangsombat, a student in STOU’s School of Communication Arts, competed in the national competition to represent Thailand in an international English-language public speaking contest. The competition was sponsored by the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and the Thailand chapter of the English-Speaking Union, and it featured ten finalists from around the country. Mr. Daranphop gave speech titled “Ideas Are Our Greatest Weapons”, and he was supported by the presence of Asst. Prof. Orasa Pankhao, Vice-President for Corporate Communications and International Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vipa Jaroenpuntaruk, Vice-President for Information Technology, and Ms. Oranut Kansit from the Office of Educational Services. Though Mr. Daranphop was not chosen as the representative for Thailand at the international level, STOU is very proud of him for reaching this level and congratulates him on this achievement.