Surasee “See” Rodari left the big city life of Bangkok, Thailand, as a high school student to explore the United States. But instead of finding himself among the tall buildings and bright lights of a glamorous city, he found himself in small-town Iowa, living with his uncle. But Rodari never regretted his decision to come to the United States and live in Iowa, not even when his nationality created challenges for him. Rodari, who today is a vice president and consumer services manager for Bankers Trust Co. has made a mission out of promoting equal treatment for everyone and helping other Asian-Americans. This weekend, he will receive the Person of the Year award from the Iowa Asian Alliance, one of many accolades he has earned for community service over the past 20 years.

What made you decide to leave Bangkok as a young adult?

As a teenager, you hear all these good things about the United States, and I wanted to come here to see it for myself. I had the dream boiling in me that I wanted to come here, and I talked to my uncle, who was a doctor in Victor, Iowa, and asked him what we could do. He talked to the local school, and they said they would be glad to have me come.

Did you know what it would be like in Iowa, that it wouldn’t be glamorous like New York City?

Absolutely not. All the things that you see in movies and magazines and papers always show New York and L.A. and Texas and Chicago, so that’s what I had in the back of my mind, all kind of buildings and all kinds of lights. Here I come to Victor, and the tallest building is three stories tall. The town had about 1,000 people, one grocery store, a little post office and no place to hang out. I was there for one year and then I took two years at Kirkwood (Community College) and then went to the University of Northern Iowa to study accounting.

Did you come to Des Moines to work after college?

It’s a long story. At that time, I didn’t know my rights as a foreigner. I went to apply at the state Capitol. There was an auditor position open and my professor at UNI recommended that job to me. I still remember today, although I can’t remember what his name is, that guy who interviewed me said, “People like you will never, ever work here.”

How did you take that?

I thought at the time, that’s how it is. I just accepted it because at that age, I had no idea of what reality was. I thought there was no way for me to get a good job or get anywhere. After that, I went to apply at the Des Moines Register and Tribune to be a janitor. I was lucky that the guy who interviewed me said, “You know, I look at your resume here and you have a lot of education.” He told me to go apply at Bankers Trust, and if it doesn’t work out, then come back. Bankers Trust hired me as a reconciler and I’ve been here since then. That was 1979.

What groups have you been involved with to try to combat the inequities faced by Asian-Americans and other minorities?

I started getting involved in about 1985. I think I started with the Asian American Cultural Committee, and I’ve been involved with several other Asian groups. I just want to make sure that the younger generation has a better understanding of their rights and they’re not going to have the same thing happen to them that happened to me. They should feel good about themselves and that they’re not just Asian, they’re proud to be Asian and proud to be of that heritage. Other groups that I worked closely with have been the National Conference for Community and Justice and the Des Moines Human Rights Commission.

How did you feel this past year when the tsunami hit Thailand and other Asian countries?

At first, I didn’t really think about it, but after a while, I got to thinking that I should do something as a representative of that part of the world. I contacted our president of Bankers Trust, Mike Earley, and asked if it was OK if I started an account here to accept donations on behalf of Iowa Cares. He said it was a great idea, so we got the word out to the media, and within one day, the checks were coming in like crazy.

We raised about $112,000 between the end of December and end of February.

Did you know then that you would go to Thailand to disperse the money that was raised?

I was already planning to go back to Thailand to visit family, and the committee we had formed here to oversee the donations decided that I should visit the areas to see what kind of help we could offer. We decided that our first priority was helping kids.

What did you find when you got there?

After seven months, there is still a lot that needs to be done. The government had money to rebuild schools, but there wasn’t money left to put desks or books equipment in the buildings. My wife and my son and I went to Thailand for 30 days to visit rural places that were in need of help. But even with 30 days, time went so fast.

Were you surprised to find out you are the Iowa Asian Alliance’s Person of the Year, largely due to your efforts in helping the tsunami victims?

I didn’t expect it. I didn’t do it to be recognized, but because I wanted to and it was the right thing to do.

Do you ever think of leaving Iowa to live in another city or different part of the world?

Ever since I stayed here in Iowa, we went on vacation to visit many, many states, and I think Iowa is the best place really. The people are really nice, and like where I come from, the people try to help each other. It’s nice to visit cities, but this is home. The United States is the only country that I know of that anybody can be who they want to be if they pour their heart and soul into it.