From Thailand to Texas to tiny Olivet

More than 400 new students isn’t the only thing Olivet has gotten this year. Olivet College welcomes Professors Areerat Lertchaipitak and Eakamon Oumtramkool to its business department. In 2006, Lertchaipitak who goes by Poy, came to the United States from Thailand eager to further her education.

“America has high recognition in higher education and I wanted to learn from an education perspective as well as the career perspective,” said Poy.

Oumtramkool and Poy met at West Texas A&M where they both graduated with a master’s in finance and economics and then to Texas Teach for master’s degrees in personal finance. They are current candidates for doctoral degrees in Personal Financial Planning. They are also married and have a young daughter and currently call Battle Creek home.

“We heard about Olivet’s strong insurance program. Financial planning is the perfect combination with insurance, we came here to help build an even stronger program,” said Poy and Oumtrakool.

Olivet is known for its campus’ small size in relation to larger universities. “What’s different about Olivet from my previous institution is the smaller classrooms where students and professors can exchange in dynamic thoughts and really get engaged,” said Poy

Students and professors are both equally excited to have professors Oumtrakool and Poy at Olivet College. “I am extremely excited to have them here because of their experience and the fact that they come from one of the top Universities in the country for financial planning, Texas Tech,” said Tom Humphrey, director of the Insurance and Risk Management Program.

Senior Danielle Bearden has Poy as a professor for financial management. Bearden said, “She is very pleasant to her students and she will do anything to help you understand the material.”

“They bring a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and opportunities that will benefit our students and department,” said Humphrey

“Coming from a previous classroom size of 100 students and now teaching a total of 7-27 students, I have better opportunities to help my students one on one,” said Poy

“We fell in love with this country and wanted to help younger generations make wiser decisions in personal finance,” said Oumtrakool and Poy.