Delek : I came from a very humble family background in a family with 10 children and I was the eighth among my siblings. Yet with the blessing of our great & visionary leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I was able to complete my schoolings from CST( Central school for Tibetans, now changed to Sambhota Tibetan Schools). I did my under graduate from Punjab University, Chandigarh and further studied Post graduate in Special Education from Delhi University. All these studies were completed with the support from DOE’s scholarship and sponsorship. I got the opportunity to serve my community by working as the Head Teacher at Ngoenga Special school which is administered by Deptt. Of health, CTA from 2005 - 2015.

Delek: I was selected through a written and English language interview conducted by a committee at TCV School followed by a leadership training workshop. I pursued a professional development course in Special Education from the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Delek: I currently work as the director & special educator at the Tibetan Ability Center, an NGO based in Dharamshala that strives to promote rehabilitation support for the differently abled person living in various Tibetan refugee settlements in India. My vision revolves around building an inclusive society where individuals with disabilities are visible in all aspects of life and treated with dignity and respect. I believe in celebrating diversity and showcasing people with disabilities as valuable contributors to our community. The Tibetan Ability Center serves as a platform to realize my sincere efforts in advancing the disability movement, one life at a time.

Delek: Since its inception, our organization has mainly been involved with Education, health, advocacy & awareness activities around disability areas to help create an environment that enables people with disability to live with respect & also help them integrate into the community. We also work with primary stakeholders such as the parents in supporting them with their children’s diagnosis & connecting them to resources. We also work with schools & other organizations to promote early intervention &inclusive education.

The biggest success or satisfaction I would say is, seeing the increase in the number of parents & organizations reaching out to us with requests for referrals & consultancy. It is endearing to see their interest & willingness to help the children which has been minimal in the past. The biggest challenge has been the lack of trained professionals in the field of special education in our community which prevents us from upscaling services as well as the quality of service delivery. I hope more Tibetan youngsters will pursue this field in the future.

Delek: TSP has been instrumental in shaping my approach to addressing community challenges from a different perspective. It has propelled me to strive further in my current development projects for the Tibetan community. The Tibetan Scholarship Program (TSP) significantly broadened my perspective on educational pursuits. TSP is exceptional in its commitment to freedom and the spirit for humanity to thrive in the modern civilized world.

Delek: My lifelong dream is to witness a day when every individual, including those with disabilities, actively participates in all spheres of life—be it in schools, workplaces, transportation, and beyond—in both physical and attitudinal spaces. In my capacity, I aim to continue to strive to create an equitable ecosystem for people with disabilities within my exile community in India

Delek: The TSP program has been a boon for the first generation of modern education recipients in exile, impacting our community positively. I am eternally grateful to the Government and people of the USA for their support, acknowledging the individual empowerment that TSP brings. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all past and present members of ECA, State Department, US Embassy, DOE, CTA, and everyone involved in making this opportunity accessible to us.

Delek : This experience is truly enriching, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I cherish, and I encourage younger individuals to explore similar opportunities.

Chemey: My typical day at work begins by watching and reading news of all the developments that have taken place in the last 12 hours, making a list of all the things that need to be done and a quick briefing with my colleagues on the work that needs to be done in the week or the day. I would develop story or content ideas, rewrite and edit scripts and supervise program production, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements in addition to administrative work daily while my weekly and monthly tasks include writing project proposals, following up on approvals, implementation, submitting monthly project reports and evaluating videos/films and edit manuscripts submitted for publication.

Chemey: My two years of working in the private airline sector with non-Tibetan colleagues made me realize the lack of purpose and the very little satisfaction in the work I was committed to despite excellent learning experiences and extremely helpful colleagues. It was right after completing my airline Load Control Officer’s training, that my best friend sent me the announcement from CTA on an upcoming staff recruitment exam. I took that as a sign to pursue the purpose I was looking for and started preparing for the exam. And here I am.

My transfer to CTA’s media section prompted me to learn more about journalism and much more about world politics. To inform the world about Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora, I felt we needed to have adequate knowledge of the developments around the world. Without a theoretical background on the interactions of states in the global interstate system, I always found myself in doubt. That is why I sought to pursue my master’s in International Relations with Journalism as my elective.

Chemey: Being the only official media channel of the Central Tibetan Administration with about 236k followers on Facebook and 112k subscribers on YouTube, Tibet TV is more focused on ‘Getting It Right’ rather than ‘Getting It First’. Tibet TV focuses on providing authentic and accurate information and acts as a counterbalance to the influence of private media companies. Tibet TV provides coverage of events and issues that private media may not be interested in, such as stories related to government policies and actions. Tibet TV’s weekly update in about 11 languages has been playing a pivotal role in informing Tibet supporters and non-Tibetan-speaking Tibetans worldwide on the latest developments in Tibet and CTA’s activities and by bringing all of them together under one umbrella when it comes to initiating Tibet advocacy activities and prioritizing agendas under the leadership of CTA.

Chemey: My two years of graduate studies were full of exposure to learning, unlearning, and contributing in many ways. Those experiences have not only made me more confident to work in the role I was assigned to but also helped me develop a better-informed mindset with a wider perspective towards all things in life and at work.

Chemey: All moments that led to the development of a unique affinity, and a life-long friendship with my cohort based on our shared journey of being TSP scholars are blessings and will always be memorable.

Chemey: Besides academic credibility, my association with the most prestigious scholarship award in the exiled Tibetan community and with one of the top private universities in the United States have made me realize my potential and the strength in my growth mindset that I consider the most valuable.

Chemey: I consider all the stories and interviews I work on equally significant since they are meant to disseminate information on the under-represented stories and under-reported cases of the human rights situation in Tibet, the developments in China, particularly related to Tibet, and CTA’s policies and programs. However, the stories and interviews we have covered during the COVID-19 pandemic have been extremely helpful for the viewers to cope with the uncertain times, particularly the interview with Kyabje Yonge Mingyur Rinpoche. The advice and perspectives Rinpoche gave me on life, work and the world during the interaction for the interviews were of immense help in overcoming many challenges I faced personally and professionally. I reflect on those time and again.

Chemey: Since its initial years in the 1980s, the Tibetan Scholarship Program has not only helped about 500 Tibetans realize their dreams of achieving new heights that people of displaced communities can only imagine. But also, built their capacities in ways that prepared them to uplift their community in all aspects. TSP scholars bring their unique experiences, perspectives, and cultural diversity to their host schools. Their presence, participation, and representation hold a great deal of significance for the under-represented exiled Tibetan community. The Tibetan Scholarship Program awards the selected candidates. Nevertheless, it is not just a group of young Tibetans whose education is being facilitated, but the entire Tibetan community in exile that is being uplifted through them.