Student Profile: Thao Le ’11

While living in Corpus Christi, Texas, as a high school senior in an exchange program, Thao Le had numerous choices of liberal arts colleges while reviewing the U.S. News and World Report. After seeing Hope in the report, Thao contacted the college and was immediately impressed with its general friendliness, an attribute that she did not observe as much at other colleges to which she applied.

“I had a chance to get in contact with some faculty members and professors at Hope. They were so friendly and were always willing to help me out with any concern that I had,” she says.

Once Thao joined Hope’s family, she noticed the campus’ friendliness even more. “The professors are very dedicated. Moreover, I have been having a good time with many wonderful friends here,” she says.

She has also appreciated that Hope’s personable atmosphere runs campus-wide, helping ease her transition to West Michigan. “People are very friendly and energetic. They sometimes say ‘Hi’ to me even though we do not know each other,” she says. “I was also very happy when many of my friends were eager to know more about me and my country. People here just make me feel welcomed.”

In addition to her experiences with various people at Hope, Thao is also focusing on her accounting major and mathematics minor with support from her professors.

“The accounting professors are friendly and they really care about you. They know how to make the classes fun. We have a slogan among accounting people here at Hope: ‘accounting is fun,’” she says. “The accounting department also has a very good internship program which helps students find internships with which we can apply what we learn in class and also gain experience, which is really useful for future jobs. I am so excited and looking forward to a great internship.”

Thao is hoping to use her experiences with the department to obtain a degree in public accounting and become a Certified Public Accountant.

In addition to her studies in accounting and mathematics, Thao has been involved at Hope in a variety of activities ranging from Phelps Scholars Program and International Relations Club (IRC) to participation in the Math Club and her role as an Orientation Assistant. “These activities have been helping me be more active, improving my communication and leadership skills, which are useful for my intended future job,” she says. “Extracurricular activities have helped me enjoy my college experience to the fullest.”

This profile was written by Christopher M. Lewis, a 2009 Hope College graduate from Troy, Mich., for the 2009-2010 Hope College Catalog.

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