Triton College speech faculty Archawee Dhamavasi received a prestigious award from the White House that recognized her service contributions to the Asian-American community in Chicagoland. Dhamavasi received the 2014 President’s Call to Service Award, as well as the Distinguished Young Asian Professional Award from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, at a banquet on Nov. 23 at the Four Points by Sheraton Chicago O’Hare in Schiller Park.

When she’s not teaching students at Triton, Dhamavasi volunteers her time with Wat Dhamaram Temple in Bridgeview, where she began a preschool and raised funds to build a playground at the location. She also stays active with the Secretary of State’s Asian American Advisory Council that provides services and resources to the Asian-American community around the Chicago area, including providing translators when necessary. She also serves on the International Women’s Association and the Asian-American Coalition of Chicago. Born in the United States, but raised for a good portion of her life in Thailand, Dhamavasi ventures to Thailand in the winter and summer to present lectures, but would ultimately like to open up a school in Thailand for women, as an education isn’t always afforded to them, as compared to U.S. culture.