Grad’08 Actor-Activist Alex Rendell

Actor-activist and Patana alum Alex Rendell visited Bangkok Patana to meet with Thai students in Year 10 where he shared his experiences as a student and his environmental work with his organisation the Environmental Education Centre Thailand (EEC). Last year Alex was appointed by the United Nations’ Environment Programme as its first National Goodwill Ambassador for Thailand. Students share their reflections on the meeting.

“I realised that not only is he an outstanding actor adored around Thailand, but he is also a very impressive individual. While listening to him, I could sense the immense enthusiasm and passion he has for what he does, which is to educate the youth on the significance of the environment, utilising his platform in a very intelligent manner. The influence he brings upon the youth cannot be understated, educating over 10,000 students per year at EEC. His life-long love for nature was kindled at the age of 10 when he met an elephant expert working in the research and rescue of pachyderms. It was also interesting to hear the perspective of someone who shared the same experience as me, which is studying at Bangkok Patana and hearing about all the experiences he endured during his time at the school.”

Att, Year 10

“After listening to Alex Rendell, I felt very inspired by his views on the environment and how he turned his passion into a career by starting EEC. I was especially impressed by his environmental camps and how he teaches young children to snorkel/dive as well as how he uses elephants to help children with disabilities. He shared his experiences from his time at Patana and gave us useful advice on school life and exams. I found it very interesting how he started off filming advertisements and acting when he was four and then started his own environmental company as an adult.”

Anna, Year 10