Jirawat “Doha” Saengsin, a convert from Bangkok, Thailand, graduated from BYU–Hawaii in 2009 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Doha’s path to BYU–Hawaii was guided by faith, service, and a desire to grow. Today, he serves as the Associate Director of Learning Experience and Instructional Design at Onyx Hospitality Group and is the president of the Thailand Alumni Chapter.
From Conversion to Campus
Doha’s journey to BYU–Hawaii began with a spiritual transformation that reshaped the trajectory of his life. Born in Phitsanulok and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2000, alongside his parents and older sister. “It was a family conversion,” he recalled. “We all got baptized after being taught by the missionaries.”
Just a few years later, in 2003, Doha was called to serve in the Thailand Bangkok Mission. “That experience helped shape my testimony and gave me the desire to continue learning and serving.” After returning home, he arrived at BYU–Hawaii for interdisciplinary studies.
“Looking back, it was all perfect, but at the time, it wasn’t easy,” he admitted. Like many students, he struggled with some of the coursework and found himself reconsidering his major. “I initially wanted to study psychology, but I had a hard time, especially with the statistics classes,” he said.
Despite the academic challenges, Doha found peace and strength in the spiritual environment surrounding him. “One of the biggest blessings of BYU–Hawaii was being so close to the temple,” he said. “We didn’t have a temple in Thailand back then, so having the opportunity to go often really helped me. I would always go and seek help from Heavenly Father.”
Being immersed in a spiritual and academic community helped Doha find balance and direction. “I think the biggest thing BYU–Hawaii gave me was balance between academic and spiritual life,” he reflected. “It helped me understand how to apply what I learned in both my professional work and my church service.”
Serving with Heart
Doha’s time at BYU–Hawaii wasn’t limited to classrooms and textbooks. He immersed himself in campus life through leadership, cultural celebration, and work that brought light to the university community.
As a student, Doha became president of the Thai Club, a role he described as both fun and formative. “We ran different activities like Food Fest, Culture Night, and even organized forums when visitors came,” he said. “It was a great time! especially working with all the Thai students and making Thai food together. Those events really brought us closer.”
He believes that those early experiences of managing teams and coordinating with various departments gave him skills he didn’t fully recognize at the time. “Serving as Thai Club president helped me more than I realized back then. I learned how to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, collaborate with various departments, and provide support to others. That’s something I still use today.”
Alongside his leadership role, Doha also worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center throughout most of his student years. He served on the night show light crew, operating lighting panels and cueing transitions behind the scenes. He shared, “I was the behind-the-stage guy. I worked almost every night and got to see the show so many times. I even memorized the sequences and tried to mimic the dances.”
Though the job wasn’t directly tied to his future career in instructional design, the lessons stayed with him. “It had everything to do with people,” he explained. “Interacting with performers, understanding timing, seeing how a team comes together to make something great was all about human connection and collaboration.”
Those experiences, leading peers, supporting performances, and managing responsibilities taught him how to lead with empathy and serve with purpose. “It shaped me in ways I still carry today.”
Returning Home to Lift Others
Doha continues to carry the lessons and spirit of BYU–Hawaii into every part of his life, from his professional leadership to his devotion to family and community service as he lives and leads in Thailand.
Doha met his wife, Apapohn “Tan” Pinsakol, after graduating and returning to Thailand. Though she studied at BYU in Provo, Utah, the two crossed paths while attending the same Latter-day Saint branch in Thailand. The Bangkok Thailand Temple now stands in the place where they first met. Together, they are raising three children. “Life is not about yourself,” Doha explained. “It’s about how you reach out to people close to you—your spouse, your children. You must forget yourself to build your family, your community, and even your nation.”
Doha works as Associate Director of Learning Experience and Instructional Design at Onyx Hospitality Group, a company that manages hotel properties across Southeast Asia. He’s now working to create internship opportunities for BYU–Hawaii students and alumni. “BYU–Hawaii’s Career Services is in the process of signing an internship memorandum of understanding with companies throughout Thailand, including my current employer, ONYX Hospitality Group,” he shared. “Our company has hotel properties in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Laos, which could help students looking for professional experience after graduation.”
In his volunteer capacity, he continues to serve as president of the BYU–Hawaii Thailand Alumni Chapter, a position he’s held for more than five years. “One of my goals is to build a well-structured committee and eventually find a successor,” he shared.
Doha also takes time to help families prepare for the BYU–Hawaii experience. “Recently, a father messaged me asking how he could prepare his daughter to apply,” he recalled. “I just tried my best to point him to the right people and give him the information he needed.”
Within the Church, Doha has held several callings—bishop, temple worker in Bangkok, stake secretary and clerk, and Sunday School teacher. He currently serves as assistant director of communication for the Church in Thailand, where he played a major role in promoting the Bangkok Thailand Temple open house. “We ran digital billboards, created posts for Facebook and the Bangkok Thailand Temple website, and helped the public understand what the temple is about,” he said. “When the temple opened, I was also able to serve there.” Having previously served as a temple worker in the Laie Hawaii Temple during his time as a student, he felt prepared to assist, especially in helping English-speaking visitors participate in temple ordinances. He completed his service last month.
Additionally, during his service as a bishop from 2016 to 2020, Doha played a pivotal role in guiding many young adults in his ward to pursue higher education at BYU–Hawaii.
“I had the opportunity to work closely with five individuals (current students Weerawat Meeprolam, Titaya Moonsarn, and graduates Kanda Kannasut, Chutamas Tavivongpaiboon, and Fah Nipawan), encouraging and supporting them in their journey to BYU–Hawaii,” he shared. “As their former bishop, I'm incredibly proud of what they have accomplished so far and excited to see what comes next.”
Weerawat Meeprolam, a senior majoring in business marketing, never imagined studying abroad would be part of his path. "I never saw myself as someone who would attend college in another country. My high school G.P.A. was above average at best,” remembered Meeprolam. “I wasn't one of the smart kids—I just gave enough effort to get by. But knowing my bishop and stake president had my best interests at heart, I decided to apply [ to BYU–Hawaii]."
Doha credits his time at BYU–Hawaii as the foundation for everything. “If I didn’t go to the university, I don’t know where I would be now,” he reflected. “That experience blessed me professionally and spiritually. It gave me balance. At BYU–Hawaii, you gain knowledge, but you also learn how to apply it in your work, your family, and your faith.”
