My name is Bautista Vela and I am an International School of Bangkok (ISB) graduate from the class of 2014. I have two younger brothers whom studied at ISB while my family lived there.

I consider myself to be from Argentina and am currently pursuing my college degree in the United States.

Our first and most memorable activity involved us three (Martin Brekke, Jack Melhorn and I) competing in a triathlon that included swimming, riding commuter bikes for the cycling part, and finishing off with a run. All in tutus and weird outfits! It may sound ridiculous, but as a group of three, we were able to raise a significant amount of money to operate on multiple kids battling the unfortunate condition of cleft palate! Our activities consisted of unique ideas created by the group of kids at ISB that could potentially involve other students and would make the staff and students to partake in the donations.

KAFK at ISB started off as a way for a couple of friends, including Martin Brekke, Jack Melhorn and myself, to have fun while being able to raise money for KAFK’s motive: To help kids battling cleft palate. Sadly, it was towards the end of our high school career, but we were able to provide with sufficient donations for countless operations, which was the main purpose of our activities. KAFK is full of kind minds and huge hearts that shared one main value: a care for others. Joining KAFK was the first time I was involved in a large organization where I was able to partake in activities to help those who needed it. This changed me as a person. After seeing the impact we could do helping others, it made me the person I am today, helping in another organization raise money for those who need it. KAFK was full of surprises and I’ve seen it growing internationally across South East Asia changing the lives of those who deserve a better lifestyle.

Read more about Bautista’s fundraising initiatives here:
ISB KAFK High School Club arranged 2nd Charity Triathlon
Ladies’ group, friends and children organized a Christmas Bazaar in Bangkok
Bautista went from long hair to short for fundraising
Bautista, Jack and Martin organized a jolly Charity Triathlon at their school