An Engaged Advocate

Papao Phaimany Lathsabanthao is an 29-year-old mental health advocate and audiovisual. She usually prefers to be behind the camera, but she’s come out of the wings because she believes in finding solutions for as many of the world’s problems as she can.

As a problem-solving kind of person, she put herself through the communications program at her university by working in her mom’s snack business. When the business faltered in an economic crisis, her mother migrated north to find a better job, and she became the economic and emotional support for her grandmother and young brother.

Her cause this year will be mental health, which stems from her own experiences with anxiety.

Coming from a country where this issue is rarely addressed, she started an accessible initiative called “Understand Your Mind,” in which she interviews a specialist on emotional care in her television segments. She has also produced events and other audiovisual projects on this theme. Her goal in life is to work in the service of humanity, by running a newsroom and producing content and commercials for international brands.