17-Year-Old Student Becomes Family Breadwinner After Mother's Death, Struggles to Pay School Fees

Dream, or Kanoknat Panyatip, a 17-year-old 11th-grade student, has become the family's head after her mother's death from cancer. Her elderly father cannot work, and her sister suffers from severe mental illness. Every morning, she cooks using a small electric pan, prepares lunch to save money, and sometimes has only 10-20 baht for school expenses. On weekends, she works odd jobs, earning about 500 baht per week. Despite her challenges, she maintains excellent grades with a 3.93 GPA and currently owes 73,620 baht in school fees. Dream remains committed to caring for her family, saying she doesn't feel tired as long as her loved ones are fed and receive medical care.