ISB Alumni Spotlight: Giving back in the time of COVID

ISB Alumni Spotlight: Giving back in the time of COVID

Natalie Bin Bin Narkprasert is a 2009 graduate of ISB. In her two years in High School at ISB she was known as a fine student and as a leader on both the ISB Varsity Girls’ Soccer team as well as the ISB Girls’ Varsity Tennis team, and was, in fact, named captain of the tennis team in both of her two years on the team and was awarded the Booster Club Spirit award her senior year.

After high school graduation, Natalie went to university in Switzerland attending the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne from 2009-2013 where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Administration/Management. After her final year internship in event management and marketing in New York City, Natalie moved back to Bangkok where she worked as a Marketing Coordinator for GOCO Hospitality, a company specializing in wellness hospitality projects.

In August of 2015, Natalie branched out a bit and co-founded Toojah, an e-commerce platform which assists artisans in Thailand in selling their products online. This led her to move to Paris in 2017, where she worked as a business developer for eFounders, specifically for Culture & Engagement Specialist @Briq, which helped companies drive employee engagement through recognition. Along the way, Natalie even found time to get married.

Enriching Communities during COVID

Still having strong connections to Thailand, Natalie continued to make frequent trips to Bangkok primarily to work in a rental properties business. It was during one of these trips that the pandemic hit, and she found herself literally stuck in Bangkok. An adaptable person, she began to think of ways to keep herself useful and busy, while in Thailand. She thought of her healthy but elderly 94-year-old grandmother and wondered how elderly people without family could possibly take care of themselves during the pandemic.

With this idea in mind, Natalie started COVID Thailand Aid. The purpose of the group is to provide care packages and hot meals, as well as supplies for front-line workers, not only for the elderly in Thailand, but to anyone in need. She collected over 3 million baht in donations through a crowd-funding campaign and had over 400 volunteers willing to lend a hand. By the end of July, COVID Thailand Aid had helped over 85,000 people in 19 provinces, including some of the most vulnerable groups in the country.

Natalie, along with another ISB alumnus, Prameet Sirisachdecha (Class of 2002), also hosted a virtual Black Lives Matter protest with nearly 400 people tuning in to show support. This event was later mentioned on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. In fact, her efforts in this area were featured in The New York Times on three separate occasions.

In early August, Natalie was finally able to return to her life back in France. However, the work of the organization continues. If you are interested in assisting this great cause, please feel free to visit the group’s website at https://covidthailandaid.com.

ISB is proud of all of its alumni and applaud the work of those that have gone above and beyond during this time. Natalie Narkprasert, is an example of adaptability, global-mindedness, and creativity. Congratulations, Natalie, on your achievements and thank you for living our vision of Enriching communities through the thoughts and actions of our learners.