9/3/2004 - AFS Alumnus Speaks at the National Peace Corps 25th Anniversary

As a young student in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan was taught English as a second language by two Peace Corps volunteers working in southern Thailand. In high school, he traveled to the US with AFS for a year where he eventually graduated cum laude from Claremont Men’s College in Claremont, California, and received a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Harvard.

Since then, Dr. Pitsuwan has led a distinguished career as the first Muslim to achieve high diplomatic office in his native Thailand. A member of parliament in Thailand and former foreign minister, he has served as speaker of the House of Representatives, assistant secretary to the minister of Interior and as deputy minister of foreign affairs.

Last month, Dr. Pitsuwan was the featured panelist at the 25th Anniversary of the National Peace Corps Association Conference in Chicago for a session entitled “Understanding Islam.” He discussed the prospects of Middle Eastern Muslims looking to Southeast Asian Muslims for models of Islam that peacefully coexist with democracy.

Dr. Pitsuwan has become a spokesperson for moderate Islamic communities in Asia as a champion for sustainable economic development and educational opportunities for Muslims.

When asked how his AFS experience guided the trajectory of his career, Dr. Pitsuwan said, “My AFS experience taught me that life is about sharing and giving and that we have a mission to share these messages, no matter who or where we are.”