My Profile

Tashi Delek everyone!

My name is Tsering Dolma Chawa Sherpa. I am a Master’s student at the Metropolitan College (MCNY) of New York located in downtown Manhattan (75 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013). My concentration is Master’s in Public Affairs and Administration. It is a field that studies government policy (federal, state, or local) that is bound to non-profit organizations. The course teaches how to administer, manage and lead public and non-profit agencies. In short, we dedicate our lives to serve the public and satisfy their needs, such as social, domestic or economic needs.

I received my Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a liberal arts Methodist college. I majored in Psychology. Asides from the academics, I was actively involved in various college organizations (non-Greek organization). I was mainly involved with the International Student Organization (ISO), where I served as Secretary in 2003, Vice President in 2004 and President in 2005 and 2006. During my tenure as president, ISO was well recognized with awards and achievements by the college and the community. We were involved in various annual activities and functions, such as the Children Festival, Homecoming Parade, Spring Sing, the International Fiesta that takes place every other year and many other volunteering events. In 2006, five members of ISO including myself volunteered for Alternative Spring Break - Hurricane Katrina. I was able to gain valuable experiences from this trip. It taught me about humanity and helped me recognize my nature towards people that need help. This is one of the reasons why I chose to pursue Master’s in Public Affairs and Administration.

At MCNY, the Master’s of Public Affairs and Administration is a three-semester-long program that can be completed in one year. The college has a Purpose-Centered Education. In Purpose I, the graduate students invent a Constructive Action (CA) known as a need analysis for the organization we are based at. I work with the Network of Sherpa Students and Professionals (NSSP). During this period, the students research the topic materials to identify the core purposes of their CA and map out plans to examine the need analysis. In Purpose II, after gaining approval from the management, we implement our CA by conducting experiments/surveys/ interviews etc. In Purpose III, we strengthen our constructive action: research, implementation, and its conclusion that could be practically applied by the organization in the future.

My Constructive Action is a vision to bring about a change in the Sherpa community. Throughout the history, Sherpas are known for climbing great mountains, as hard working guides/porters and also as minorities in Nepal. Today a large population of Sherpas has traveled abroad for higher education and greater opportunities that are not available in Nepal. Most importantly, we are here to show the world the other side of the coin, not only are we hard working citizens of Nepal but also the future leaders of the world.

My father is the greatest advocate of education. Because he did not get an opportunity to further his education during his time back in Kerung, Solukhumbu, he feels that my siblings and I should have every right to gain education and be the leaders that he wishes he could have been. At a young age, my father quit school to earn money. He started as a porter making very little per day. During treks, he interacted with many foreign climbers and slowly learned to speak in English. As years passed, with his hard work, he was able to move up the ladder in the trekking industry. It is his resourcefulness and commitment to hard work that led him to establish his own company. Today, he is the president of the Sherpa High Ambitions Trekking. It is clear that he is a leader and an inspirational one. The only thing that he lacks is a degree that recognizes his credentials and achievements. For that reason, I want to fill his empty shoes in the hopes of becoming a leader.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my true gratitude to the Network of Sherpa Students and Professionals for its generosity and for giving me the opportunity to land my project, my Constructive Action. It is the organization’s objectives to enhance and maximize the educational and professional development of its members and to bring together the expertise of Sherpa graduates and students, so that the younger generation of Sherpas can draw on the invaluable resources. The organization has followed its objectives by allowing me to conduct my project for my Master’s degree. All of the board members have been very welcoming and helpful. They are professionals and great educators. Because they have been where I am currently, it is my great honor to look up to them and work hand in hand. If anyone has any guidance, suggestions or comments, please contact me via e-mail: tchawasherpa@iqmail.mcny.edu. Thank you again.

PS. If any Sherpa high school students are interested in participating in my project, please contact me via e-mail. The project's implementation phase begins in January 2008.