Another year, another Thai Astronomy Olympiad. Every year, the competition brings together some of the brightest high school students in the country as they compete for the chance to represent Thailand at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. This year, I once again had the opportunity to serve on the exam committee, helping design questions for the competition and contributing to the selection process.

The event took place from May 10–15 at Khon Kaen University in Khon Kaen. Beyond the competition itself, TAO has always been a reunion of sorts for the astronomy community in Thailand. It is one of the few times each year that I get to meet both old friends and new faces from across the country who are all working on different aspects of astronomy. Catching up on everyone’s research, teaching, outreach activities, and life updates has become an important part of the experience alongside the competition itself.

I also had a chance to briefly visit Dr. Sangsan Warakkagun at the Mathematics Department next door to the main event building. It was a nice quick stop during a busy but rewarding week at TAO.