Spotlight: Thitinun Boonseng

Doctoral Candidate for School of Information Science and Learning Technologies

Thitinun Boonseng was born in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. His early plan was to become a police officer but his mother, scared for her son’s safety, suggested he study abroad in the United States during high school – if for nothing else than to learn the culture.

“So I came to a school in Florida,” Boonseng said.

He graduated from the Floridian school and found, to his mother’s relief, that he no longer had interest in law enforcement. Instead, he had interest in continuing his education in America.

At the age of 17, with only broken English, he took a bus ride by himself to the University of Missouri.

“I was impressed by the architecture on campus and the diversity.”

Once at Mizzou Boonseng found himself getting involved in a variety of international programs and organizations. He was president of the International Program Committee from 1998-1990, president of the Thai Student Association from 2002-2003 and then again from 2005-2006. In the fall of 2009, he became the first recipient of the MU International Engagement award for Outstanding Student Contributions. His latest achievement – the John Bies International Travel Scholarship he received in April.

“Life at Mizzou has had a big impact on the person I am, today,” Boonseng said, after explaining how he has now spent more time at the school than he did in Thailand.

Boonseng has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science, an Education Master’s Degree in Educational Technologies and is currently a doctoral candidate in Information Science and Learning Technologies.

When asked what he does, in layman’s terms, “I mix learning psychology with technology.”

In other words, he works with software research and development on support system programs designed to help youth with mild behavioral learning disabilities. What does he want to do with all of this?

Because of his interest in helping those in Thailand, he recently founded the Brighter Thailand Foundation. It’s a non-profit organization aimed at supporting both educational and personal development of Thai youth. He hopes to continue developing the foundation after graduation.

“I want to use it to help people.”

That’s why he founded the Brighter Thailand Foundation. It’s a non-profit organization aimed at supporting both educational and personal development of Thai youth.

Boonseng may no longer have plans to become a police officer, post graduation, but he still hopes to help Thailand, by continuing to establish the Brighter Thailand Foundation.