About

Since 2011, I have continued to learn from, and hopefully give back to, a community that has given me so much. I am adding it here, on my professional webpage, because I would not be where I am nor have the outlook I do without these experiences. 

They have shaped and transformed me. And my philosophical work is deeply intertwined with the wisdom traditions and multiple teachers I have had the opportunity to encounter. 

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There is a saying, "no mud. No lotus." That difficult times can provide the conditions for great compassion to develop. That something so pure can arise from an unlikely place. When sitting across from Tibetans, exiled in India, this becomes very clear. 

I was first introduced to Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan Cause in 2011 by Geshela Thupten Dorjee and Dr. Sidney Burris, who led a study-abroad trip, Tibetans in Exile Today (TEXT), to India every other summer. I listened to Tibetans of all walks of life as they discussed the hardships they had faced from occupation and exile. And I was overwhelmed by the courage, joy, and compassion they felt for all beings. What I did not expect was their contagious warmth and wisdom that slowly brought me out of my own suffering. 

Six months before the trip, I was in a severe automobile accident. I suffered a traumatic brain injury, broke my arm and my pelvis in three places, was completely bed-ridden, and had to withdraw from University. I was told I would not walk normally again. Despite the prognosis, I did walk again and went to India for the first time that summer. What I found was a rare and precious outlook on the world and the human condition. A path to understanding one's own mind, the nature of it, the afflictions, and the practices which might offer a remedy. 

I continued to return, twice with the TEXT Program and twice on my own. I lived at Tarab Ling Institute for six months to study the different schools of Buddhism through an adapted monastic curriculum for lay people from Western culture. And again for two weeks to learn how to use the interrelation of intersubjectivity for therapeutic and healing means. 

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Through meditation and introspection, my experiences and insights from Buddhist philosophy help guide my research. Although I will never be able to repay the kindness, I remain committed to trying. Here are some of the ways: 

Tibetans in Exile Today (2011, 2013, 2015)

• Interviewed exiled Tibetans relocated in India to record an oral history of their struggles and create an online platform of the many different perspectives and lifestyles of the Tibetan diaspora. 

Unity in Duality Training - Tarab Ling (2017, 2019)

•  Studied the four schools of Buddhism and applied the theoretical philosophy to therapeutic practice and self-development (Modules I & II).

• Studied the role of the interpersonal influence on the unfoldment of reality in a therapeutic setting (Module III). 

TibetanTees (2014-2017)

• Co-founder of the non-profit project aimed at sustainable education, poverty alleviation, and cultural preservation of Tibetans in exile.

• VP of Logistics and Fundraising

• Represented TibetanTees at Clinton Global Initiative University.

• Finalist in Resolution Social Venture Challenge Forum. 

Tibetan Summer School Teacher - Uncasville, CT (2022/06)

• Taught children between fourth grade and seventh grade as part of a summer program run by the Tibetan American Community of Connecticut.

• Reviewed material related to the history of Tibet, the Tibetan conflict, Tibetan Buddhism and religion, and Tibetan vocabulary.

Himalaya Project Assistant (2022/09-2023/05)

• Organized upcoming events for the Himalaya Program, a transdisciplinary project working with School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Asian Studies Department.

Tibetan Language Courses (2018-2021)

• I have taken both colloquial and classical Tibetan language classes at the University of British Columbia. 

• I was fortunate to be part of a translation group with members of the Tsengdok Monastery in Vancouve. 

TCIA Sangha member (2011-present)

• Thanks to the rise of video-conferencing tools, I am able to continue meeting with my Sangha and teacher, Geshe Thupten Dorjee, every week to discuss Buddhist teachings and mind training.  

Interviews with Specialized Individuals Regarding Education (2015/06)

• Karma Chungdak - Director of the Sambhota Tibetan School Society (June 16, 2015)

• Samdhong Rinpoche - former Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile (June 10, 2015)

Students for Free Tibet (2011-2017)

• Organized events to raise awareness of the Tibetan cause and history.

Treasurer (2013-2015)

Panel Member and MC - 2nd Annual Tibetan Film Festival (2018/03)

• Presented my perspective of the current issues of Tibetans in Tibet and in Exile to the best of my knowledge on a panel with other experts on the issue.