Journalism major Lyndsey Evans Seale ’13 knew she wanted to spend time overseas after graduating college—she didn’t know exactly how she would get there.
Her roommate’s older sister, Christina Durano Butler, was the only person she knew who had participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. “Christina is the reason I applied. We were both in the Schieffer College and had the same major—she was my inspiration,” Seale said.
With encouragement and guidance from Ron Pitcock, Ph.D., director of prestigious scholarships, Seale applied and was accepted. She spent her Fulbright year in Sawankhalok, Thailand, teaching English to 700 students between the ages of 11 and 18.
In anticipation of her year abroad, Seale launched a crowdfunding campaign to start a film school in Thailand. “I’ve always been passionate about storytelling through film; I think it’s a powerful way to share the truth,” she said. The campaign funded the purchase of camera equipment that Seale ultimately gifted to the young filmmakers, and students made documentaries and feature films that they premiered to the community.
“Seeing them learn something that I’m particularly passionate about—to be able to tell their stories and share them back in America to explain Thai culture—was really sweet,” she said.
The crowdfunding campaign’s success inspired Seale to create a nonprofit organization, Go Tell the Story, to support the film school she started. Through Go Tell the Story, she served as a media consultant for other nonprofits and traveled to northern Thailand and Cambodia, where she worked with a population of stateless Burmese people.
“I wanted to see the world change, but I also recognized that I had unique opportunities, unique privilege and a unique education, and that the best way to see change happen was to utilize what I’ve been given,” Seale reflected.
Not every day in Thailand was typical. One day, the local community asked Seale to participate in the king's parade. Always eager to learn more about the local customs, she agreed without knowing exactly what her involvement would entail.
While Seale was teaching a class of 50 rowdy 16-year-old students, a dress designer from the town came in to her classroom and began taking her measurements without explanation. Seale had no idea what was happening, but she said that wasn't unusual in Thailand due to the language barrier.
On the day of the parade, Seale spent hours in hair and makeup and discovered a tailor had made her a traditional Thai silk dress. The measurements of the custom-made garment were so precise that the tailor had to sew it on her by hand.
During the two-hour parade, Seale held the king's flowers and walked four miles through the village while photographers and townspeople snapped pictures.
“I was the only American in the town, and everyone wanted to take a photo with me in royal Thai attire because it was such an anomaly,” she said.
At the end of the route, local officials presented Seale to regional government leaders and she performed a deep "wai" (a Thai greeting in which one bows to show respect). It was a picture-perfect moment that the Thai government later used on a billboard.
For months afterward, while shopping in the market or simply riding her bicycle through the village, townspeople would stop Seale and show her pictures they'd taken of her during her daily activities around town. She said she felt like a local celebrity.
Seale said spending a year abroad as a Fulbrighter was life-changing and altered her perspective on privilege.
“People who are impoverished and living in the middle of nowhere in Thailand are not any less valuable, and they're not to be pitied either—they lead enriched lives,” she said.
“However, when you just deny privilege, in general, it doesn't do anything,” she reflected. “But if you can use your privilege productively instead of feeling guilty about it, that's actually the best way to see a change in some of the world’s injustices.”
As Seale wrapped up her year in the Fulbright Program, she wanted to continue using her privilege to help others but struggled with what path to pursue next.
Then she spoke to a fellow American living in Thailand. He convinced her to pursue a well-paying position at a large company so she could have the time, financial means and freedom to do what she wanted on the side. So, Seale got a job at Google in Austin, Texas, where she joined the Google Refugee Coalition as a program manager.
Grateful to have spent her first post-undergrad year abroad thanks to Fulbright, Seale says she'd like to see more Americans take advantage of a gap year like many Europeans do.
“I think that it's time to really value getting out of your context to serve, learn and teach in an entirely new environment, and Fulbright provides perhaps the best opportunity to do that, from an American perspective,” she said.
Seale now lives in London and runs a consulting business called Life by Lou that provides private and executive spiritual coaching. She continues to be a force for the greater good and recently received a grant to help Kurdish refugees return to their homeland.
© 2026 Texas Christian University
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