Faces of FIUTS: Meet Fah

Faces of FIUTS is a social media campaign that collects personal stories from individuals who are part of our work. This week, meet Fah!

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Where are you from?

I was born and raised in a suburb of Bangkok, Thailand. I have seen my neighborhood changed from rice fields to townhouses for factory workers and commercial centers. Seattle also became my "home" as I have made my community during the time I lived there.

What's your FIUTS story?

At FIUTS international student orientation, the facilitators supported me to make my life abroad easier, and I started to do the same for new students. My most meaningful moment was when I performed Thai classical music in Meany Theater at CulturalFest. After that, people approached me with their interest and we connected. These experiences impacted me to understand more about my own heritage and the value in others, and helped me connect with people around the world in a deeper level.

How will you change the world?

People call me teacher. I see myself as learner. I am a university's faculty in Mexico where education is different from what I am used to. First, I didn't understand the mindset of students so I failed to make them learn. Over time, my students and I adapted to and learned from each other. I will continue this path working with young people to develop their capability as engineers and as humans.

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Ornwipa (Fah) Thamsuwan graduated from UW in 2016 with a PhD in Industrial Engineering. She was a FIUTS facilitator (2010-2016), volunteer for K-12 education programs (2010, 2011, 2014), CulturalFest performer (2016, 2017) and SUSI ambassador (2016).