Sai Kaung Myat
KYAW

Originally from Myanmar and now based in Singapore, Sai Kyaw is an ambitious, fun and creative young man with passions for mathematics, economics, and sports. He believes that the economy can teach people how to observe and understand world issues, through the use of math. Sai believes he is easy to communicate with, and possesses a strong set of core values that guide him to become the man he wishes to become. In the long term, Sai hopes to become an international entrepreneur in order to develop smarter and more sustainable infrastructures for future generations. For 2024, Sai was invited as a Delegate by UN Youth Office to attend the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum in New York, representing Myanmar. He was further selected as a speaker to a leadership event organized by UN Youth Office and UN Foundation. 

 

Growing up, Sai has always been, for one way or another, the center of attention. It all started when he pulled a chili prank on a friend in kindergarten, introducing him to the world of extreme spices. During second grade, his teacher gave him one word of advice - there is a “time and place” for everything. Being his 100% self, he found one best friend in 3rd grade and another one in 4th grade, and the group became unbreakable. He continued his somewhat mischievous streak through primary school, until when it was the last day of school in fifth grade, his teacher wisely reminded him that he is a person of strong potential, and the way to realize it is to channel it towards the right outcomes. That moment left a strong mark on Sai’s personal development, and still shapes his thoughts and actions to this day. 

Continuing his journey into high school, he has always been a strong proponent of experience based learning over school based learning. From Sai’s perspective, education must be purpose-based, and he seeks to inspire changes in how subjects are taught with this mindset. He is actively engaged as a member of the junior varsity rugby team, and is one of the three captains. During his most recent game, it was his first time playing with 15 people on each side and he received MVP distinction as a hooker - front row in the middle during a ruck, the person that throws in the ball from the sidelines during “lineouts”. He is passionate about his work with TASSAL, where he educates kids in Cambodia. He helped fundraise over SGD 65,000 in one night and was one of the people in charge of bidding for artworks. His other activities include MUN and Business Club, where his team secured initial success placing fifth international ahead of the final round at the Wharton High School Investment Competition. 

 

From a personal perspective, Sai is a very religious buddhist who adheres to the five precepts:  commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. His fitness and body is very important, and he has lost 12 kilograms over a span of two months. His parents never had the opportunity for completing tertiary education, and he was often told that he was fated for prominence. Amongst the many superstitions of his father, a prominent one is that prior to his birth, he had a dream of a baby white elephant, a symbol of success and prosperity in the Burmese culture. During 2023, a very famous and holy monk came to his house and also commented that he would grow up to be a remembered figure.

 

With an eye towards a purposeful future, he understands and accepts that he will be scaling his current family business, and expanding it to China and Japan before going global. He wishes to revolutionize his country and make education better once his place in the financial world is stable and developed. After leaving a self-operational legacy through this hard work and guiding his children to inherit his success, he plans to go into seclusion as a monk with the hopes of reaching nirvana.