In each issue Redbird Impact highlights a faculty or staff member who exemplifies Illinois State University’s core value of civic engagement. The spring 2024 Campus Hero is Tanaporn “Gig” Supanichrattana, M.S. ’15.
Supanichrattana works in Facilities Management and leads the Facilities Information Team and the Facilities Operations Center. She recently added Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and drones to her growing list of responsibilities. She also provides GIS mapping support to Emergency Management and is part of the Incident Management Team.
Supanichrattana came to the United States from her native Thailand in 2010 for what was supposed to be a monthlong stay. But one chance meeting upon another—not to mention her ability to connect with people—paved the way for her to find a home here at Illinois State. She earned a master’s degree in project management from the Department of Technology, but given her love for learning and an endless supply of energy, that wasn’t the end of her academic journey. She’s currently pursuing a doctorate in the Department of Education Administration and Foundations that she will finish in 2024.
She is a 2020 graduate of the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP) from the Multicultural Leadership Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The organization’s mission is to create leaders who will “engage the power of diverse perspectives to improve our world.” Passionate about civic engagement, Supanichrattana donates her time and talents to several causes. Through her MCLP experience, a favorite project she was involved in benefited Autism McLean. She has also assisted in gathering food-insecurity data in support of the School Street Food Pantry. And she’s volunteered her time to teach local children her native Thai language.
When she’s not working or volunteering or studying, Supanichrattana likes to work out and cook. Since the Midwestern climate is different than Thailand’s, especially in the winter, she has adapted by doing Pilates or getting in a cardio workout at home. She loves to cook and has been learning about Korean and Chinese dishes, but her specialty is Thai food, naturally. Recently, she’s added
some local recipes to her repertoire.
“I try cooking American food, but I’m not very good at that yet,” she said.
The following Q&A was conducted in the winter. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Where did you grow up, and how did you come to Illinois State?
I grew up in a small town in Chachoengsao in Eastern Thailand, and I came to Illinois State in April 2010 for a one-month program at ISU through my university at home. I have a very big family, and in Thai culture family is very important. I have been very fortunate that most live in my hometown. In my immediate family I have two brothers, and I am in the middle. A critical part for my journey was finding a welcoming home in the U.S. Through the host family part of the program, I was welcomed by host mom, Dawn Badenhorst, who introduced new adventures and connected me with the community. In addition to Dawn, Julie and Keith Moldovan were also my host family. They are all now an extended part of my family, and they are part of my life. I think I may have even inspired the Moldovans to retire to Thailand soon.
Why is volunteering so important to you, and what are some of the programs that you lend your time to?
I do try to volunteer. Right before COVID hit, I dedicated my support to Autism McLean to make the Bloomington-Normal community more autism-friendly. I loved this project and learned so much. Through the Multicultural Leadership Program, we helped Autism McLean develop an Autism-Friendly Community within Bloomington-Normal. I also served as secretary of AsiaConnect at ISU, with my term ending in 2022 after two years, and I promoted the multicultural aspect within the Bloomington-Normal community. Currently, I support the School Street Food Pantry by working on a project to understand community needs regarding food insecurity. I’m helping develop a survey to collect the relevant information. For the past four years, I’ve been an advisor to the Student Sustainability Committee at ISU. I provide guidance and recommendations that promote the field of sustainability to help those students learn and grow and be successful.
How did you go from being a student to an employee?
I began with Campus Dining Services, now Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality, as a student worker while pursuing my master’s degree. I like to talk to people, and this was my first job ever in my life. During my second year of graduate school, I had the opportunity to do a project management internship during the summer. I was working as a cashier and got a random request after a conversation with then-Associate Director Dianne Feasley, who is now retired. It was a friendly conversation, and she asked me to help with implementing the gluten-friendly station at Watterson Dining Center in 2014 and to help support the equipment inventory project. It was unexpected, but during that internship, I was asked to give a project presentation to Facilities Management on what I had accomplished as a student intern. After that presentation with Facilities Management leadership, I was offered a graduate assistantship there for spring semester 2015. My supervisor was Kristie Toohill, and she has been my supervisor for several years now. In my current role, I cover a lot of different areas, but my role is to bring transparency, visibility, and innovation, not just to Facilities Management but also to the institution. And all of this was unplanned.
What is your favorite part of working at Illinois State?
I think the personal relationships are my favorite part. ISU has this unique culture of openness and warmness. At times, I feel like I’m hanging out with friends. I can speak up and be myself. I don’t need to change who I am. The friendliness stood out to me right from my first impression, and I always felt very comfortable here.
What would you like people to know about your culture?
I learned from my parents, and it’s an important part of our Thai culture, to give back. We can’t live in a community where you only take, so I’m passionate about all that I’ve been given, and I like to try to pay it back. I grew up with that at home in my family. Since I was 5 years old, we did a lot of community service. There’s a fix-it center program in Thailand where it’s all about giving and run by volunteers. People can learn how to sew, cook, how to bake bread, and how to do maintenance/repairs on motorcycles and bicycles. There’s preventive dental care, and it’s all free, so that people can continue to develop and take care of their families. I can’t imagine not having that service.
In addition, Thailand is more than just Bangkok and the beach. There’s so much natural beauty and so many natural resources and beautiful scenery beyond the city. I would recommend visitors go to the city of Chiang Mai in a province in Northern Thailand, for example. It’s very pretty and very unique.
Last question, why the nickname Gig?
In Thai culture everyone has a nickname. From the time I was born, I have been called Gig. There are various definitions, but to my parents it meant: Little, small, cute thing.
