The Most Fulfilling Work I've Ever Done

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Timethius Terrell ('24), a Psychology major, conducted research on the social lives of LGBTQ+ students at Mahidol University International College in Thailand. This research was supported through the Gelfman International Summer Fund.

After spending my entire life restricted by homophobia, I found a supportive community at Penn where I could be myself. However, this acceptance of LGBTQ+ peoples is not always common among global universities.

In my initial days as a visiting student at Mahidol University International College (MUIC), I noted that many LGBTQ+ students feel that they do not fully belong. I also noticed that, implicitly, the classroom rhetoric seemed to feed or at the very least demonstrate this exclusion. My desire to reveal these hidden issues is why I began conducting research on the social lives of LGBTQ+ Thai university students. With the topic being largely unexplored through a social psychology lens, I found my niche quite quickly. The results of this study will offer insight into the barriers that a large number of Thai students face in the higher education environment which can be used to improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ students throughout Thailand and offer a comparison of how these issues arise across understudied cultures. Even now, the trends I have observed allow me to advise administrators at MUIC who wish to build a more inclusive university culture.

During my time at MUIC, I formed a research partnership with the Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR), with whom I plan to expand my complex research investigation and disseminate the results as widely as possible. Apart from my research, I mentored the Pride Coalition (PC)— the first student-led advocacy group at a major Thai university that is focused specifically on LGBTQ+ inclusion. I founded this group while I was a visiting student, and my time as a researcher allowed me to teach my mentees the principles of institutional activism, ensuring that the PC remains sustainable. I became a guardian-like figure for multiple students, and I was a consultant to administrators. Already, the PC is a blueprint for students at other Thai universities, where such advocacy-focused programs are not integrated into the university cultures.

On an academic level, this work allowed me to apply multiple distinct concepts that I have learned over the years to a large real-world problem. It made me a much stronger researcher, and I will continue to build upon my skills at Penn and past my undergraduate years. On a professional level, this project granted me more experience in diversity and inclusion consulting, which has helped boost the credibility of my other pursuits. Now, I am collaborating with Penn administrators and formally designing university resources on social justice training for students. On a personal level, my work at MUIC was the most fulfilling work I have ever done; I think about my former constituents every day. Conducting this project changed my life trajectory; if done with the right passion and insight, research will do the same for other students. -Timethius Terrell

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