Born in Asheboro, North Carolina (NC) to my wonderful parents,

Brad and Debbie Thomas, I had the opportunity to grow up without

fear of conflict or lacking knowledge of where my next meal would come

from. As I graduated from Asheboro High School in 2012, I began to better

understand just how lucky I was to be born in the Piedmont of NC.

 

The unrest, turmoil, and above all hope for a better tomorrow during the events of Arab Spring were both an inspiration and a call to action for me to try to assist those affected by conflict. As a young student at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill and later at the United States Military Academy at West Point, I hoped that I would be able to make positive impact as an officer in the United States Army.

 

After graduating from West Point, I was stationed briefly at Fort

Liberty, Georgia and then to Hohenfels, Germany where I worked at

a multinational training center contributing to greater collective

security in Europe as a Platoon Leader, Multinational Liaison

Officer, and finally assistant to the commander of the of the training center. While I believed in the mission of the center, I believed that there were other things that I could do to assist those in need more directly. While in Germany, I had the opportunity to volunteer with assisting people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ethiopia. Finding ways to assist these people is where I felt my passion lay.

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.                                                 After nine years as an active-duty soldier, I left the Army at .                                                 the end of 2022 as a United States Army Captain. During the .                                                 period between the end of my time in the Army and time in                                                    Japan I spent enrolled in an intensive language program for  .                                                French (an important language for many asylum seekers                                                          from North Africa), worked on refreshing my Arabic, and                                                        spent some time in Strasbourg, France and Tunisia putting                                                    these competencies to the test by talking and volunteering                                                     with asylum seekers, talking with members of Non-                                                                  Governmental Organizations, and exploring potential            .                                                 research topics for my upcoming time in Japan. 

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                                             I was honored to learn that I was selected for a Rotary Peace   .........................................   Fellowship to the ICU where I will be able to study under experts of International Refugee Law and be better equipped upon graduation to assist those affected by conflict.