Assistant Professor Dr. Orrapen Sukawalli, Dean of the School of Nursing at Walailak University, delivered a welcoming address to participants and representatives from partner educational institutions during the opening ceremony of the 5th National Academic Conference: “Creating Wisdom for Society in Thai Arts, Culture, and Thai Wisdom” for the 2026 academic year. The event was held virtually from August 29 to 30, 2026.

This national academic conference was organized through a collaboration between the Faculty of Nursing at Praboromarajchanok Institute, Boromarajonani College of Nursing Nakhon Si Thammarat, and a network of leading nursing institutions and universities across Thailand. The primary objective was to create a platform for knowledge exchange, academic sharing, and presentation of scholarly works on Thai arts, culture, and traditional wisdom to apply these insights toward sustainable health promotion and social development.

The event featured a diverse range of academic activities and competition stages, including:

• Keynote lectures and panel discussions facilitating exchanges between faculty members and students.

• Innovation competitions focused on preserving and promoting Thai arts, culture, and local wisdom.

• Performance competitions under the theme “Art for Health: Integrating Health and Thai Wisdom for Community Wellbeing.”

• An English speech contest.

On this occasion, the School of Nursing at Walailak University sent two 3rd-year nursing student representatives to participate in the English speech competition: Miss Natchanan Steven Moore and Miss Chayamon Janthong.

In the competition, Miss Chayamon Janthong achieved outstanding success, winning the Excellent Level Award and the Best English Cultural Speech Award (1st Runner-Up).

The speech contest was held as part of the Show and Share Contest 3 under the theme “Thai Arts, Culture and Wisdom: Our Heritage, Our Future.” The stage provided an opportunity for students to showcase their English language proficiency while highlighting the value of Thai heritage and traditional knowledge through the lens of nursing and holistic health promotion.

Participation and success in this national platform reflect the strong commitment of the School of Nursing, Walailak University, to integrating nursing science with Thai cultural wisdom. This endeavor empowers faculty and students to enhance their academic and communication skills while delivering tangible health and societal value to the community.