Mrs. Alitha Thompson presented to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) class
On April 12, 2024, Mrs. Alitha Thompson presented to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) class her experience during her presidency of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) at Utah Valley University (UVU) from 2022 to 2023. It was during this time that she honed her passion of helping and teaching others so they may have the same opportunities as others around them. Currently, Mrs. Thompson is getting ready to move her family of seven to Arizona for her opportunity to attend Arizona State University to complete her master's degree in Cultural Communication, with an emphasis on Chinese culture. Following her master's degree, she has a teaching opportunity lined up in China to teach about the United States of America’s government.
Mrs. Thompson is married to a supportive husband whom she has five beautiful children with, whom she loves unconditionally. She attributes her success to her supportive family and the experiences she gained while a part of the UIMF at UVU. She mentioned that it was for her kids that she pursued her dreams to show them they could achieve great things if they tried. After her last child, she was trying to find something to do now that she was done having children and her husband had gone through college and earned his degree. Mr. Thompson encouraged his wife to go back to school and pursue her dreams, which became one of her biggest cheerleaders. Mrs. Thompson was a girl from the small mountain town of Gunnison, Utah, which is where she decided at a young age that she wanted to help those less fortunate, especially within mountain communities, to have access to proper education in hopes of pursuing a happier life. After becoming a mom, she realized what other moms out there in the world are always fighting for, their children to have a better life.
Non-traditional student
When she started at UVU in the Spring of 2021 as a non-traditional student, which are college students older than 25 who balance school and other responsibilities outside of school, she started her major in Political Science which is where she met Dr. Abdrisaev, the professor of the UNSDG class. Shortly after, she decided to join the UIMF and started working towards advocating for mountain communities as well as women and mothers. In the Spring of 2022, she became the first female president of the UIMF at UVU and left behind a legacy after she graduated in 2023.
During her presidency of UIMF, she became familiar with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), of which the fourth goal became one of her favorites which strives to provide quality education for all and promotes lifelong learning. This quickly became a core part of her drive to serve. On February 10th and 24th of 2022, Mrs. Thompson and the UVU delegation hosted two dignitaries, Honorable Robert L. Livingston, and Ambassador Tony P. Hall. Through her experience preparing and hosting this event, she then taught other students how to do the same. On March 3rd, 2022, Mrs. Thompson hosted another dignitary, Ambassador Harold Forsyth, the chair for the Organization of American States, at the “New Threats to Democracy in the Americas” event held at UVU. The following year, on May 5th, 2023, Mrs. Thompson hosted H.E. Mr. Csaba Korosi, the President of the seventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, during the “From Crisis Management to Transformation - The UN in a Brave New World” event held at UVU. The strongest ties were formed with these two dignitaries when Mrs. Thompson expressed to them her concerns about mountain communities and their lack of accessibility to proper education and other opportunities that non-mountainous communities were receiving.
Alitha Thompson as a moderator of the side event during the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
Mrs. Thompson hosted her first parallel event during the 66th session on the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) on March 21, 2022. Then she hosted her second parallel and side event during the 67th CSW on March 6-8th, 2023, a first among UIMF presidents to host more than one parallel event within their term. These events were well attended by a variety of countries that were present and met several other mothers that were part of the UN general assembly. Due to these experiences, Mrs. Thompson saw that people of authority may seem intimidating, but they are people just like you and me. They are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, and more just like we are and we are all fighting for the same thing, peace and security for our future and assurance that “no one is left behind” and that “everyone matters.” Between these large events and her schooling, she attended many other events to serve local communities. Within her experience at UVU, she served as an inspirational woman and mother not only to other students but to her children as well. In most of the events listed above, her kids were by her side the whole time. She was not only a role model to her children but gave them first-hand experience of what it was like to do the things their mom was doing and why it was important. Her loving and supportive husband encouraged her to keep working towards her dreams and attended as many of his wife’s events as he could in support, which was most of them.
Group photo of Alitha Thompson and her son with UVU students
There were many times as I listened to Mrs. Thompson give her presentation with enthusiasm and authenticity, that it felt like she was talking directly to me. That morning before she gave her presentation, I had been struggling as a mother, feeling like I might not have made the right choice of going back to school to get my degree. I was feeling pangs of regret for the times that I wasn’t able to read books with my son before bed or the moments missed playing on the floor with him due to completing my homework and school requirements. Or the too-familiar wishing I was a better mom and had a more tidy home. After listening to Mrs. Thompson’s presentation, I was inspired to keep moving forward with my dreams and to remind myself of the example I am setting for my son and hopefully other mothers.
Danielle Keysaw with Alitha Thompson
I appreciated the realism she brought to the class, speaking of her experience doing everything she had accomplished at UVU while being a mother to five children and experiencing the heartache and hardship that not only parents but mothers experience while raising their children and still pulling through with these amazing experiences that she cherishes and got to share with her children. Thank you Mrs. Alitha Thompson for sharing your inspiring story and may you forever be curious and strive for lifelong learning.
Danielle Keysaw, Biology Student at Utah Valley
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Alitha Thompson - Former UIMF President (youtube.com)
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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
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24-04-14-Janessa – Michelle Purcell We are more alike than we are different - Alitha Thompson
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24-04-25-Ellie Hegarty A Journey of Non-Traditional Education and Advocacy Alitha Thompson’s Story
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