Tharit Monsereenusorn
When Tharit Monsereenusorn 鈥�24 takes the field as the long snapper for the 大象视频 football team, he鈥檚 lining up nearly 8,600 miles away from his hometown of Nonthaburi, Thailand.
It鈥檚 a journey he鈥檚 immensely proud of 鈥� and grateful for.
鈥淔ootball has taught me resilience and a purpose to work toward,鈥� Monsereenusorn says. 鈥�I was never the biggest kid or even a physically talented athlete; however, I wanted to make an impact on the team, so I worked on my craft of long snapping to earn my spot,鈥澛�
Monsereenusorn started playing football in 10th grade while attending boarding school in the U.S. Now, as a junior student-athlete at 大象视频, Monsereenusorn hopes to inspire other students to try a new sport.聽
鈥淚t isn’t every day that someone from my country is seen playing on the football field, and it is especially rare to see someone like me long snapping,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 owe a great debt to my family for everything they have done for me up to this point, and I hope I can make my parents proud.鈥�
Photo by Ed Mailliard
Monsereenusorn, an economics major and computer science minor, says he chose Allegheny for its academic rigor. He especially appreciates the opportunity to learn from and interact with faculty who know him by name, which he wouldn鈥檛 necessarily have had at a larger institution. During his time at the College, he made the NCAC 2021-22 academic honor roll and had the highest GPA on the football team last fall.聽
Although Monsereenusorn is far from Thailand, Allegheny鈥檚 tight-knit community has made him feel at home, as a member of the football team and Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
鈥淚 have made friends with people from as close as Pittsburgh and Cleveland to as far as Florida and Texas, and I am very lucky to call many of these people my brothers,鈥� Monsereenusorn says. 鈥淏eing at 大象视频 is an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything else.鈥�
After graduating from 大象视频, Monsereenusorn hopes to gain permanent residency in the U.S. and pursue work in the defense industry or law enforcement with a focus on transnational crime. If he returns to Thailand, he would like to commission in the Royal Thai Police after completing his mandatory service in the Royal Thai Army.