Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas knows what moves him. “My passion is to celebrate the experience of being alive with others,” he said. Understanding his passion and living it with integrity move him to create connections and build communities.

“In his authentic presence as a leader in the Mozaiko Living-Learning Community,” said his nominator, “Eric epitomizes the Aspiration to Pursue Self-Understanding and Integrity.”

A junior majoring in French and International Relations, Eric has committed to excellence with increasing responsibility for developing and refining programming with Mozaiko. As Language House Director for the French House, Eric facilitated and promoted co-curricular language learning for 32 students, and in fall 2022 he began serving as president for Mozaiko’s 168 students.

Eric played an instrumental role on Mozaiko’s student leadership team – designing, promoting, and implementing initiatives focused on cross-cultural collaboration, outreach to the wider Virginia Tech community, and cooperation between faculty and Mozaiko students.

Eric initiated and implemented the innovative co-curricular event “Mozaiko Olympics” and took the lead organizing an open mic’ event for International Education Week. That event connected the community by encouraging students and faculty to share poems in diverse languages and to explore the poems’ cultural histories.

“Eric understands and articulates the value of crossing cultural boundaries effectively,” said his nominator, “and demonstrates integrity by asking critical questions during planning meetings. He pushes the community to consider those who they intend to reach and serve, often moving the conversation toward deeper questions of intentionality, values, and fundamental purpose.”

His nominator noted that Eric’s empathy allows him to understand and relate with Mozaiko’s diverse members, so he can communicate invaluable feedback, effectively support students in need, and resolve conflict, helping to fulfill Mozaiko’s promise of a truly welcoming community.

You can hear Eric’s empathy in his approach to connecting with others: “First and foremost, I value kindness and vulnerability,” said Eric. “I feel peace in knowing that everyone around me is just figuring out life to the best of their ability. This relatability is what makes us human.”

Eric credits his mother with helping him understand our commonality. At 16, he complained that nobody could be happy working a minimum wage job like the one he then held – and did not get warm agreement from her. “Today, I know that life cannot be defined by whether you work on Capitol Hill or in a small-town ice cream shop,” said Eric. “There is a wealth of beauty and value in every person.”

Seeing the worth in others benefits your own development, said Eric: “So much of furthering your self-understanding comes from looking at others around you.”

To anyone who wants to dive more into self-understanding, Eric recommends journaling. “Take some time to write down reflections on any interactions," he said. “Did you feel like yourself when you were talking to your coworkers? How similar are you to those you choose to surround yourself with? What do you want to do differently tomorrow?”

It is a great honor to present the Aspire! Award for Pursue SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND INTEGRITY to Eric Thomas.