ONE face in the campaign to end poverty and disease

Steven Thai

As a political science major, Steven Thai knows that students have made enormous contributions to social justice movements throughout American history.

Their energy and passion provided fuel for change on issues ranging from the abolition of slavery to women’s suffrage and the struggle for civil rights.

Now Steven is proud to be part of a movement to eradicate poverty and preventable disease in the United States and around the world, particularly in Africa.

Steven is an active member of ONE, an international, nonpartisan grassroots campaign and advocacy organization.

He first became involved while a student at Luther, an ELCA college in Decorah, Iowa, where ONE offered him a satisfying solution to a problem that had long troubled him.

Steven had struggled with integrating his Christian beliefs with his desire to work in the political arena. Through his involvement with ONE, Steven feels he’s answered a call from God.

“I can make a difference in the world by challenging unjust governmental policies head-on and working to change them,” he says.

After first heading up his ONE chapter at Luther, Steven accepted a position as a regional leader for the ONE Campaign Campus Challenge.

The goal of this program is to educate college students around the United States on the problems of hunger and disease and empower them as advocates for change.

While the work is often exhausting, especially combined with his studies, Steven is energized by his passion for the issues and by his faith.

“(God) pushes me to challenge policies that don’t better the world and blesses me with the patience to educate others about the importance of strong policies that benefit the marginalized around the world,” he says.

“My faith lives and breathes through the daily advocacy that I do … and when I work to make sure that individuals know what is going on in the world around them.”