Alumni Stories: Jaylen Minard in Thailand
Can you tell us a little about where you studied abroad and what drew you to that location?
I studied for an academic year in Salaya, Thailand during the 2024-2025 school year. My choice of studying in Thailand was greatly due to my intrest of studying the LGBTQ+ community, and with Thailand's notorious queer inclusivity, I thought their was no better place to study this topic.
Looking back, what were your biggest takeaways from the experience — personally or academically?
Academically, I got first-hand experience seeing the effects of “Global Queering.” This queer theory highlights the phenomenon of viewing all queer communities the same, regardless of their cultural background and personal struggles, which undermines the intersectionality of people’s identities. Before leaving for Thailand, I believed all queer people fought for the same rights or faced the same issues, but coming to Thailand, I learned how wrong this was. Just this year, Thailand became the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage and gain queer anti-discrimination rights in all sectors of life for Thai citizens. Although Thailand is very inclusive of queer foreigners, queer Thai people have been fighting for years to gain those same rights as queer tourists. Unlike in the U.S., queer Americans do not have to fight against queer tourists for identity recognition. This inspired me to learn more about the unique queer issues of different LGBTQ+ communities around the world to become a better ally for my community.
How did Joy Worldwide’s support shape or enhance your study abroad journey?
Joy Worldwide not only gave me the financial support to make my study abroad dreams more realistic, but they also showed me that black should explore the world too. Seeing different Joy Worldwide scholars explore countries from almost all regions of the world gave me encourgaement to continue exploring my host countries culture, despite exhaustion or culture shock.
What was the most memorable or impactful moment from your time abroad?
The most impactful moment I learned from my study abroad experience is the importance of the native and foreigner relationship. I learned this especially during an excursion to Korea while in Thailand, feeling the care of locals and exchanging culture outside of a Southeast Asian context. It taught me how important it is to engage with different types of people to gain a clearer picture of the world. I’ve broadened this concept into my everyday life—the “native” representing comfortable experiences and the “foreigner” representing uncomfortable ones. This model helps me manage “foreign” experiences by focusing on their benefits for personal growth and resilience, eventually making such situations feel more “native.” Hard situations are still tough, but this mindset helps me place myself in the shoes of others I’ve met, giving me the courage to push forward.
How has studying abroad influenced what you’re doing now or what you hope to do next?
My experience abroad has led me to intern with my home university’s study abroad office to encourage all students, especially those of minority status, to study abroad. I see myself as a bridge to help students understand the study abroad experience and as part of a support network to help them make their goals a reality—for instance, by assisting them in applying for study abroad scholarships like Joy Worldwide.
In the long term, my global experience has inspired me to pursue a graduate degree in counseling psychology, possibly concentrating in substance abuse counseling and women and gender studies, to become a queer-centric mental health counselor. The LGBTQ+ community in Thailand showed me care and freedom, reminding me of the need for mental health services tailored to queer people—care that also considers the intersectionality of their identities.
As I continue my education, I hope to learn more about the cultural and queer-specific issues of LGBTQ+ populations worldwide to better understand how to provide proper mental healthcare for the queer diaspora. I also aspire to become a Fulbright recipient to extend my education abroad, collect data on diverse queer communities, and ultimately create a practice that acknowledges the diaspora of queer identities while providing the care they deserve.