Country of Origin: South Sudan
Thon Moses Chol (BA '06, Organizational Communication; MSW '08, Policy Planning & Administration) is a Lost Boy refugee from South Sudan who was resettled to the United States in 2000. Today, he is a refugee advocate and spokesperson and works as a Career Pathways Specialist for Child and Family Services in Washington D.C.
In 2010, Chol testified before Congress about the refugee crisis in Sudan. Excited to be able to participate in the Refugee Congress and have his voice heard again, Chol hopes to discuss the issues of public education for refugee protection, funding for recently arrived refugees, and mental health support.
When the war in Sudan reached Chol’s village in 1987, he was only four years old. He was forced to flee his village and fend for himself. In 2000, after years of treacherous travel between Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya; Chol was finally able to resettle as an unaccompanied minor in Grand Rapids. Although adjusting to life in the United States was difficult at first, Chol attributes his success to a strong support system—and enduring determination and will. It was for these reasons he was able to complete not one, but two degrees at Western Michigan University.
For Chol, that kind of support is a two-way street and even before he arrived in the U.S., he was devoted to helping others. In the Kenyan Refugee Camp where he lived, Chol taught pre-schoolers and worked as a counselor for the Jesuit Refugee Service and Lutheran World Federation. In Michigan, he became the Executive Director of the Sudanese Community of West Michigan. Chol continues to help others through his work with Child and Family Services as a Career Pathways Specialist.
The Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS) honored Chol in 2011 with the Spirit of Welcome Award, and he was recently nominated to the LIRS Board of Directors.
In addition, Chol is also known as Reverand Chol, as he is also an ordained Minister at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia.