ABOUT ME
My name is Alex Thai and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Denver and am enrolled in the Korbel School of International Studies. I am currently majoring in International Studies and getting a minor in Chemistry. I am pursuing a career in medicine so I am on the pre-health track as well.
I am passionate about issues surrounding social justice, and I enjoy bringing awareness to these topics by talking with family and friends. I am a current member of the Asian Student Alliance and Pre-Health Club, and a a part of the DU Honors Program. |
However, I am most thrilled about being a part of the Center for Community Engagement to Advance Scholarship and Learning through my research in admissions inequality for low-income students specifically at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Through my experience as a camp counselor, working for a political campaign, fundraising for social causes, and volunteering, I have cultivated an eagerness for community engagement. My goal after attending DU is to help others through practicing medicine and continuing to commit time and energy to social causes I care about. |
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Camp CounselorAs a camp counselor, I developed meaningful relationships with my co-counselors and campers by facilitating group activities and guiding campers to achieve their personal goals. One of the most important activities I facilitated were value sessions. During these, I would propose a fun or serious prompt for campers to reflect on and answer if they chose to. This helped campers and myself learn to be open about our emotions and communicate them in a healthy and safe way.
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Fundraising for Organizations Committed to Social JusticeBefore the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests, I had relatively limited knowledge on systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. However, given the pandemic, I had a lot of time on my hands to do research on the issue and foster a greater understanding of racial injustices in this country. After learning more, I decided I should commit some time and energy to helping in whatever way I could. I have a great passion for cooking, and my family has always enjoyed the focaccia I baked every so often. With this in mind, I wanted to sell my focaccia as a way to fundraise money to donate to various non-governmental organizations that fought for the rights of Black Americans. I advertised my fundraiser to my peers via social media and my parents advertised it to their co-workers and friends. I spent the next few weeks baking every day and delivering focaccia to my customers' homes. I was able to raise just north of $800, which was matched by my aunt. I donated the funds I received to organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). |
Wrestling Team CaptainDuring my junior and senior year of high school, I was one of the captains of my wrestling team. As captain, it was my responsibility to consistently work hard and hope that my younger, less experienced teammates would follow suit. It was also my job to mentor new wrestlers during the beginning of the year and act somewhat like an assistant coach. Through this experience, I developed my communication and leadership skills, and hopefully made a positive impact on the lives of those I mentored.
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