Nadech's university triumph gets dumbed down online

CELEBRITIES JUST CAN’T seem to avoid love-hate relationships with the social media nowadays. Of course Facebook and Instagram and Twitter are prime publicity tools, but they also grow rumours like swamps breed mosquitoes.
Next target, please. Ah, yes, here we have the usually popular actor Nadech Kugimiya. First came the cheery news that Nadech had graduated from Rangsit University in communication arts, surely a boon to his self-esteem as well as his career.
Then someone claimed he’d earned first-class honours, and, for the cynics online, that proved to be the thin edge of the wedge. How could Nadech possibly have achieved such good grades when he’s always ridiculously busy with his acting chores and public appearances? “Can’t believe it that he missed classes a lot but still got good marks and received honours,” a suspicious Twitter user sniffed. “A pity those who studied hard didn’t get the same result.” The ensuing discussion was broad and cruelly elongated.
To the “rescue”, sort of, rode Rangsit U lecturers and faculty dean Anusorn Srikaew. “Nadech didn’t get first-class honours but second class,” Professor Anusorn explained. “He graduated with 3.1 GPA.”
However.
“He has proved he’s doing well in his major (film), and his English is good, since he’s spoken English since childhood.” Nadech has said as much in interviews, and has also said he’s got a very good friend who serves as his tutor.
“It’s not like he passed the test because he’s famous,” Anusorn insisted. “There are many celebrities who spent eight years studying and still couldn’t finish.”
Still, it’s rare that a big star does so well at university, although, most recently, Suvanan (Kongying) Punnakan did manage first-class honours.
Lecturer Supachanin Duangchinda pointed out on Facebook that Nadech was in several of her classes and was always highly responsible. “His admission score was higher than a lot of people who don’t work. Sometimes he’d even submit three different papers for one assignment because he wasn’t sure if he’d already done so.” That seems contrary to Supachanin’s next claim that Nadech was always “organised”, but we can’t challenged her on the contention that, “He was never absent without asking for permission.”
Nadech’s graduate project adviser Wadwimol Dejkate said everyone schooling Nadech “knows he has potential”, and reaffirmed, “It’s not like we gave him the grade because of his fame. Saying that we did isn’t fair to him or the university.” Nadech never missed an assignment and always did well on tests, she said.
As for university graduate Nadech, he says he’s heard the gossip but doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “I’m a bit upset with the talk, but I’m still happy to have graduated within four years like I’d planned. I was fully registered during the first two years so that I could feel more comfortable during the last two.”
And achieving second-class honours was an unexpected bonus, he says. “My ultimate goal was just to finish my studies in four years, which I did – for myself and my family.”