Alumni Feature: Tenzin Moenkyi
Tenzin, Class of 2014, is a shining example of what a difference the opportunities of Kailash Home (and our individual sponsorship model) can make in the life of a young person. Tenzin came to Kailash in 2000 as a Tibetan refugee; following graduation from Kailash and with the help of her Sponsors Chris John and Tina Schroeter (pictured with Tenzin below), she was able to move to the United States and graduate from Colorado Mountain College with her Associate Science Degree. Tenzin then went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from lowa Wesleyan University and currently works as an Adult and Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) specialist for the Cardiovascular and Surgery team at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. We continue to be so proud of Tenzin’s exceptional accomplishments, and are so grateful for the close and loving support of her sponsor family. Tenzin’s kind of journey is one we hope to make possible for all of our Kailash Kids!
What do you remember most from your time at Kailash Home?
“I have many memories of Kailash home! My favorite ones are dance programs and green club activities.”
Tell us a little bit about your educational journey and career:
”My past education/training has been as a Registered Nurse for the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit and then as part of the Cardiovascular and Surgery unit at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I take pride in working and continuing to learn from some of the brightest and most skilled teams in the world. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the organizing team for an ECMO conference in Jacksonville Florida Mayo Clinic 2023. I continue to stay updated on medical training and educational opportunities, and I plan on pursuing graduate school in the near future.”
What about outside of work?
”I love to hike, go on road trips and spend quality time with friends and family. I spend most of my free time hiking, exploring National/state parks and listening to podcasts and reading on my kindle. I consider myself very fortunate to have two families, my family in Nepal ( my parents and three siblings) and my sponsors (whom I call mom and dad) and their two children.”
From L to R (with some close family friends) on the summit of Castle Peak (14,278 ft): Tenzin (left end), Chris John (red jacket), Dorje (gray sweatshirt), Reena (teal coat), and Tina (blue coat with backpack).
From Tenzin’s Sponsors:
“Our connection with Nepal has profoundly changed our lives. After backpacking around the world for six months and visiting Nepal in 1995, we knew the children we would adopt had to come from Nepal. So we did. We adopted Reena in 1996 and Dorje in 2000. Nepal had a limit on the number of kids we could adopt, so Tenzin Gurung asked if we would consider sponsoring a little girl, Tenzin Moenkyi. We were happy to do. We brought Tenzin to the U.S. after she completed 12th grade in Kathmandu. Tenzin had called us from Nepal and told us it was her dream to study in the U.S., and asked if we thought dreams could come true? What else could we say but “of course!” Since Tenzin is not a Nepali citizen (she is a Tibetan refugee because her parents are refugees), she could not get a passport. We eventually got her over to the U.S. on a refugee travel document and F-1 visa to go to school at Colorado Mountain College. That was a major project! Today Tenzin works at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and she will eventually be a U.S. citizen working as a Nurse Anesthetist at one of the top hospitals in the world. Both are tremendous accomplishments, but only happened after a great deal of hard work by Tenzin, and a lot of support from us.All of us (including Tenzin) have learned a lot of lessons from her epic journey to where she is today.”
Sponsor a Kailash Grad
Following their graduation from the 12th grade and departure from Kailash, many of our children go on to continue their education in secondary or vocational schools while others immediately launch professional careers. Regardless of their specific path, our young people often continue to need our support. For under $3,000/year, sponsorship covers a variety of expenses potentially including university tuition, on the job training or internship programs, and books and other supplies, depending on the student. Unlike our Kailash Kid Sponsorship, our Graduate Program has no minimum annual commitment and donations can be made in any increment at any time. This giving opportunity is ideal for friends of HYF who want to support our young people in a more flexible way without the additional responsibilities and time commitment of sponsoring a younger child.
