The RYLArian informat took a moment to catch up with one of the talented and accomplished members of our alumni system. Listen in to hear more about the one, the only…Mr. Thomas Woodson.
RYLArian Informant: What year were you a camper at RYLA?
Thomas Woodson: I was a camper at RYLA in 2002.
RI: Very cool. So, how many years have you attended RYLA, including your camper year?
TW: I attended RYLA for 5 years
RI: Where is your hometown?
TW: I’m from Duncanville, Texas.
RI: So you attended what high school?
TW: Duncanville High School.
RI: What did you do after high school? Did you go to college?
TW: Yes, I went to Princeton University.
RI: Fancy fancy! That is very cool. What was your major?
TW: I majored in Electrical Engineering.
RI: Why did you choose your school and how was the experience of attending school out of state?
TW: I choose to attend Princeton for several reasons. One reason was that it is a good school with lots of resources. I also liked that it wasn’t in a large city, but I did have access to a big city. Princeton is one hour north of Philadelphia and one hour south of New York. I liked going to school out of state. I got to meet people from all over the country and experience another part of the USA. I also like experiencing all four seasons. Spring and fall were some of my favorite times at Princeton.
RI: Were you involved in anything specific during college, like organizations, sports, fraternities, etc.?
TW: I was involved with Impact Movement (a Christian student organization), rowing team, sprint football (like regular full tackle football, but there is a weight limit of 172 pounds), Body Hype (a dance team) and I was a resident advisor.
RI: My goodness, you were involved! I’ve heard your freshman roommate was interesting. Could you tell me a little bit about him?
TW: My freshman year roommate was an intense guy. His life was rowing and he had a lot of self-made pressure to succeed in the sport. After a semester he took a one year hiatus from Princeton in order to rebalance his priorities. However, the break was good for him. He was able to come back to school and really excel in school and in rowing. Today he’s on the national rowing team.
RI: Any particularly memorable stories from college that you would like to share?
TW: College was tough, but fun. I got to try a lot of new things like dancing, and I meet people from all over the world.
RI: What impact did RYLA have on your life when you were a camper?
TW: RYLA was the first leadership camp I ever attended. The caliber of the other campers was awe-inspiring and I learned a lot through my interactions with the other campers. Since there were so many leaders at RYLA, I learned the importance of leading from the background. Often people think the leader has to be the spokesman or in the forefront directing. However, it’s often the people in the periphery that make the biggest difference and have the most influence.
RI: How does RYLA continue to influence your life today?
TW: I still remember the lessons about the different type of leadership and teamwork. I’m more aware of the need to let other people take the lead and to listen to their direction.
RI: Why do you keep coming back to RYLA?
TW: I keep coming back to RYLA for 2 reasons, the people and to give back. I love working with the staff. They are dedicated, hardworking, patient and fun. I’m a better person after working with them for a week. Secondly, RYLA gave me a lot of opportunities as a camper and I want to help others have those same opportunities.
RI: Any favorite RYLA stories? I’ve heard something about you trying to grab a flaming toilet paper can…
TW: I don’t remember ever picking up a flaming toilet paper can. Either I blocked it out of my mind, or this is a RYLA myth.
RI: RYLA myth? Impossible! Anyways, I’ve been told you’ve worked in the nuclear industry. Could you tell me a little bit about that?
TW: Sure. In 2005 I worked for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC inspects nuclear power plants across the country. When I was there I did office work like help develop a cross-cutting issues framework. I also did a few site visits at various power plants across the country. In the general working for the NRC was uneventful. But that’s the point. If there are events, that means something went wrong.
RI: Could you tell me where you’ve traveled and what you did during the time you were away?
TW: For eighteen months I was in South Africa as a missionary. I worked with college students, orphans and refugees. For six months I was working at a university in Burkina Faso developing a cheap method to cool houses called an earth air heat exchanger.
RI: Why did you choose to do this?
TW: I chose to work in South Africa because I wanted to travel and serve the community. South Africa is an interesting mix of wealth and poverty. I was able to mentor college students who drove Mercedes to school, yet also teach English to refugees fleeing war zones. I chose to work in Burkina Faso because I was able to partner with a local university to develop technology that fit the needs of the local population. Burkina Faso is an extremely poor country with very few resources. It was an eye opening experience living in such a poor country. It made me very grateful for all of the resources that I have.
RI: Could you tell me about the service work you’ve done and why this is important to you?
TW: At the AIDS orphanage I painted buildings, delivered food, played with the children and in general assisted them. It was both satisfying and heartbreaking working at the orphanage. Whenever I came to the orphanage I brought food. On several occasions, the food I brought was the only thing the children would eat that day. My other main service project was giving free lessons to refugees. This work was very gratifying and humbling. Some of my students traveled 2 hours each way to come to the free lessons. Each week I saw students develop and grow in the knowledge of English. Eventually I was able to help the students enough to get jobs.
RI: Wow. So where do you live now?
TW: I live in Atlanta .
RI: Do you have any hobbies?
TW: I’m training for an ironman triathlon.
RI: Holy smokes. Wow. Well, what ELSE do you do?
TW: I’m at Georgia Tech earning a PhD in Public Policy. My focus is science and technology policy. My current project is investigating methods to integrate technology into developing countries in order to decrease inequality.
RI: Do you apply things you learned at RYLA in the workplace?
TW: I’m constantly applying RYLA principles at work. Leadership, ethics, and teamwork are integral parts of any job.
RI: Are you a Rotarian?
TW: No, I’m not.
RI: Not YET, right? Just kidding. Are you involved with any organizations within your profession or community?
TW: I’m involved with my local church and with a student Christian organization on my college campus.
RI: Thank you so much for taking the time to give this interview. We’re sure everyone will be thrilled to hear about what’s been going on in your life!
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