Sorawit Thumniam: foreign exchange student from Bangkok, Thailand

A junior at Maricopa High School, Sorawit Thumniam comes from a family of six in Bangkok, Thailand. He said he wanted to study in America to improve his English skills.

“Some subjects are easier here,” Thumniam said in comparing his schoolwork in Maricopa to that in Thailand. “Some subjects are harder. The easy ones are math and biology. The harder one is English.”

Thumniam, who goes by the nickname of Nook, said he has enjoyed his time at MHS.

“The school is big, and every student is friendly,” he said.

Thumniam has had the chance to discover some of Arizona’s culinary delicacies.

“I like going to Phoenix, and they have something called Dave and Buster’s,” he said, referring to the popular restaurant and video game arcade.

An avid soccer player who also likes to read comic books, Thumniam plans to attend college and become a teacher.

He lists Hawaii and New York as the places in America that he would most like to visit.

Photo by Tom Kessler

Next: Raphael Dantas from Brazil