Areeya Sirisopa ( th, อารียา สิริโสภา; ) or Areeya Chumsai ( th, อารียา ชุมสาย; nicknamed "Pop"( th, ป็อป, born June 28, 1971)) is a Thai

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

, lecturer and filmmaker.

Early life and education

Areeya Chumsai was born in Ann Arbor,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the daughter of Thai immigrants. She spent her childhood and adolescent years in the state of Michigan and received a degree in journalism from Michigan State University in 1993.

Pageantry

Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, she traveled to Thailand to visit relatives and found a side job as a model for various fashion magazines. Within a year, she qualified for the Miss Thailand pageant and won the crown in 1994. She went on to compete in the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

pageant held in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, placing 13th overall; and recipient of the "Best Kodak Smile." During her reign as Miss Thailand, she began working as a model, actress, and emcee.

Career

Teaching career

Upon completion of her reign as Miss Thailand, Areeya went on to teach

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and writing to Thai students at

Bangkok University University (BU; th, มหาวิทยาลัยกรุงเทพ; ), commonly known as Mo Krung Thep ( th, มอกรุงเทพ), has operated since 1962, is one of the oldest and largest private, non-profit universities in ...

and later

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

. In 1995, she became a military officer at the

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) ( th, โรงเรียนนายร้อยพระจุลจอมเกล้า, translit=Roong riian naai rɔ́ɔi prá Jù-lá-jɔɔm-glâo or รร.จปร.) is the service academy o ...

ranked as a 2nd Lieutenant while teaching English to Thai soldiers. Her experiences in the military were later described in her book "Bootcamp." She also wrote a column for the Thai fashion magazine ''Praew'' and continued to model. In 1999, she worked as a spokesperson/model for

Hitachi, Ltd. () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo ...

, appearing in both print and television advertisements. In 2000, she became the first Thai woman to receive the 13th Tokyo Creation Award, awarded for her social service.

Filmmaker and current activities

In 2005, she co-directed alongside Nisa Kongsri the film ''

Innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

'' (''Dek toh''), which documented the schooling and lives of the

hill tribe Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

children in northern Thailand. Chumsai and Kongsri lived among the hill tribe people for months as teachers and students lived together growing crops, cooking meals, and continuing the education process. The film opened to positive reviews and has been shown in several film festivals throughout the world, receiving several accolades including most recently the EIDF2006 "Spirit Award" in Korea. Proceeds from the film have gone to the hill tribe children; in addition, Chumsai and Kongsri have continued to raise awareness across the country and through their charity work.

References

External links

*Brown, Samantha
Beauty and brains: Areeya 'Pop' Chumsai
(interview), 2005. Retrieved November 27, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chumsai, Areeya Areeya Chumsai Areeya Chumsai Areeya Chumsai Areeya Chumsai Miss Universe 1994 contestants American people of Thai descent People from Ann Arbor, Michigan Film directors from Michigan Michigan State University alumni 1971 births Living people Areeya Chumsai