Reid Arné recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Westminster College with an honor’s degree in Finance and a minor in philosophy. He currently works as a senior project manager and financial analyst at Unified Health, a healthcare brokerage firm that assists low-income, minority families. At Westminster, Reid was an honor’s college peer mentor and represented the school in the 2021 global CFA research competition. Reid is passionate about engaging with the global Thai community and exploring issues of economic development. From 2013 to 2016 Reid traveled to Thailand and Laos to work as a full time humanitarian volunteer for LDS charities. Through these experiences, Reid has developed a strong interest in the intersections of international finance and global politics. Reid intends to apply to law school in the upcoming year.

Lisa Guagliano graduated Summa Cum Laude from Palm Beach Atlantic University; majored in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Computer Science. She worked as an International Student Coordinator at a local high school. Her academic and research interests include the economic changes in the Southeast Asian countries and China’s development of the Belt and Road Initiative. She is fluent in Thai, English, and proficient in Khmer. Lisa traveled to Cambodia in 2018 to work on a community development program with Raw Impact, a nonprofit organization. She enjoys learning about new cultures, as she participated in a program on campus, Mosaic, that promotes diversity at her university. Lisa is continuing her education with a Master’s Degree in International Affairs as she aspires to pursue a career as a Foreign Service officer.

Ashleigh Kong is completing her second master's degree at the American University's School of International Service specializing in U.S Foreign Policy and Diplomacy. She completed her first Master of International Public Policy degree at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Canada along with her two undergraduate degrees in International Development and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo. Ashleigh aspires to join the Foreign Service as a diplomat working towards improving U.S affairs in the Asia-Pacific region with a particular interest in Thailand.

Sai-kit Jeremy Lee is a Hong Kong Chinese Thai American from Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in 2019 with a BA in Asian Studies and Chinese Language & Literature. At GW, he founded their Asian American Student Association and was one of the key movers in helping the university adopt Asian American Studies. While Jeremy has a lot of experience in public service, he currently works with a faith-based organization in Houston, Texas where he empowers and coaches Southeast Asian students to be leaders in their respective communities. In his spare time, Jeremy continues the work of empowering underserved AAPI communities through helping folks register to vote, advocating for ethnic studies in public schools, and organizing workshops. He hopes to one day enter an Asian American Studies graduate program to inform his advocacy for not just the AAPI community at large, but specifically the Thai American community.

Justin Hogenauer is a rising senior at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing simultaneous degrees in Society & Environment and Business Administration. While studying the Thai language, he serves as a squadron commander in Air Force ROTC and advises as an undergraduate academic peer advisor for his college. With career aspirations to be an Air Force pilot, he looks forward to using his multidisciplinary education and foreign language experience to bring a more diverse leadership perspective into the U.S. government.

Kendrick Nikornpan is a graduate of Suffolk University while he majored in Asian Studies and minored in Political Science. He was involved in cultural clubs and organizations such as the Asian American Association (AAA), and the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). He was also heavily involved in a non-profit student organization called AIESEC, partnered with the United Nations, focusing on developing leadership and peace through cross-cultural exchanges like internships and volunteering. He plans to travel to Ningbo, China, to teach English at the Education First school in the city in part because of his deep affection for the abroad experience he had teaching English to children in Thailand. He aspires to become a Foreign Service officer.

Ty Kiatathikom is a graduating senior at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and a native of Rockford, Illinois. His major is in International Relations and his minor is in Chinese. He is currently serving with Illinois JusticeCorps, an AmeriCorps program placing volunteers in courthouses to assist court patrons with civil legal matters. He was placed as a semi-finalist in the Fulbright Program in 2021, and in 2020, he was honored with the Mikiso Hane Undergraduate Research Prize in Asian Studies from Knox College. In 2018, he was awarded two Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and received the Service Above Self Award from the Rotary Club in Rockford, Illinois for his work in organizing the Rockford March For Our Lives. Ty is passionate about writing, community organizing, and social justice. He is looking forward to a career practicing law in the public interest.

Kathryn Wangthamkua is a rising senior at Pitzer College majoring in Political Studies. At Pitzer, Kathryn is an active member on campus where she is an Admission Fellow with the Office of Admission and a Pitzer Advocate for Survivors of Sexual Assault. Kathryn is also a member of the Robert Day Scholars program through Claremont McKenna College. Kathryn is passionate about policy and government, and has worked for various nonprofits and political advocacy organizations. Through these roles, Kathryn has developed a strong interest in the intersections of public policy and social justice and is excited to explore these interests by engaging in new communities.