I graduated from high school in 2019 but was not accepted to any university or college. One day, the Kantarawaddy media group, which is the only outlet covering events in Karenni state on a daily basis, held a workshop in my town. It was open to everyone who wanted to learn about reporting, not only journalists. After I went there, I wanted to become a journalist. So I went to study in a media institute and became a reporter for Kantarawaddy Times after I got my diploma.

My first article was about the increasing use of fertilisers by farmers, a topic I know well because my family makes a living from agriculture. I am very interested in political news but I have to be very careful when I write about high-profile politicians, by being accurate while mentioning their names, positions and opinions in my features.  

I only own a smartphone and can sometimes use the camera and computer from our newsroom. Despite the risks and limitations, I am still working as a journalist because I have to produce news for and about our people, who rely only on the Kantarawaddy Times for local information. There are only a few journalists working for our outlet and when the military coup happened, some senior reporters had to come out of retirement to help us with the coverage. There are so many injustices in the world that people need to know about and our new generation of journalists has the responsibility to inform about what is happening in Karenni state, where people suffer from full-blown war and mass displacement for decades. 

In the future I want to be a professional journalist and focus on long features and investigations.