WHAT DOES SCHOOL MEAN? An educational journey with Tenzin Lama ’21 (Strathcona

What Does

School Mean?

STORY BY JENNY DUNBAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARDEN GILL

FOR TENZIN LAMA, A GRADE 12 STUDENT AND A SCHOOL PREFECT AT SHAWNIGAN, SCHOOL MEANS A GREAT DEAL MORE THAN CLASSES, SPORTS, OR FRIENDS.

It means more than strong exam results, a pathway to a good college, or lasting memories. It is much bigger than all these things. It is a gift. It means a changed life. It means hope. Tenzin grew up in a small village in the Himalaya Mountains. When she was just five years old, her mother passed away during childbirth, leaving Tenzin with siblings and a father who was unable to care for the family – a precarious situation for any child, but particularly for a young girl in Nepal. Fortunately, Tenzin’s uncle was able to bring her to a place of safety and stability: Shree Mangal Dvip (SMD), a school in Kathmandu that provides free education, housing, and care for children from the most vulnerable and remote Himalayan mountain villages of northern Nepal. Tenzin credits SMD, which is fully funded through philanthropy, for changing her life: “Because of the school and our sponsors, I had a free education, a place to live, and food to eat,” she shares. “I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study there.” She describes the boarding school as a place of deep connection, where students form strong bonds with each other. Her schoolmates soon became like her brothers and sisters, and her time at the school was marked by kindness and support. At SMD, students are only educated to Grade 10 because the school doesn’t have the capacity to provide education through to Grade 12. Instead, students are encouraged to stay at the school in administrative, teaching, or mentoring roles, giving them the opportunity to continue their education elsewhere in the city while giving back to the school. For Tenzin, staying at SMD after completing Grade 10 was an easy decision. “After I finished school, I couldn’t go home,” she explains. “My mom passed away when I was five, my uncle is a Buddhist monk, and my father cannot afford to support me. People in my village work on their farms where they just manage to have enough food to feed themselves.” And so she entered a new phase in her schooling journey – teaching. As the only one in her class who spoke three languages (English, Nepalese, and Tibetan), she was asked to teach kindergarten. “I felt like I wasn’t ready, but I still said that I would teach,” she admits. “On my first day, I was so nervous because I did not feel ready and I had never had any teacher training. But

slowly, I really started to connect with my students, especially since I knew how the students felt, as I too know what it feels like when you are separated from your family at such a young age. I treated them like my own children, and like my own siblings. We had a deep connection, me and my students. I was so grateful to be their teacher.” Tenzin continued for two years in her role as kindergarten teacher before her schooling experience took yet another turn when she was offered the chance to complete Grades 11 and 12 in Canada. SMD works hard to find ways for their students to experience the world, with the hopes that they will come back to Nepal and work to improve the conditions there. Accordingly, the school has partnerships around the world – including with Shawnigan Lake School. And so, Tenzin once again left her home, and everyone and everything she knew, for a new school. “I was so excited to go to Shawnigan,” she reveals. “I was also quite nervous, as everything would be very different from Nepal.” She credits her housemates, peers, teachers, and the Strathcona staff for making the transition as smooth as possible. Like SMD, Shawnigan Lake School is a very tight-knit community, and Tenzin shares that she received much love and support from the Shawnigan family in those first few months in particular. Despite any initial trepidation she may have felt,

she fit into her new community instantly, with her trademark smile, humble attitude, and extraordinary warmth winning over everyone she met. “My most favourite thing about Shawnigan is everything,” she gushes, “but if I have to point out one thing, then it’s going to be my teachers and my friends because all of them have been the most kind, helpful, and gorgeous people that I have ever met in my life. When I first got to Shawnigan, all the teachers were very encouraging and treated me as my parents here and as my friends; they never made me feel homesick, and always cheered me up.” Tenzin encountered academic differences at her new school as well. Not only was she now learning in English fulltime, but she also had to contend with a new teaching style. In Nepal, she explains, much of her school work was based on memorization, whereas at Shawnigan she has been challenged to explore and engage with the content in a new way. Undaunted, she wholeheartedly dove in and dedicated herself to her school work.

“My first year at Shawnigan was very challenging,” she admits. “After not studying for two years, I had to get back into the habit of being a student again, but I made use of the tutorial times that my teachers offered, accepted help from friends, and was able to bridge the gap.”

Tenzin has certainly made the most of her time at Shawnigan. She has taken advanced courses, improved her English, tried new activities (including rugby, a newfound love!), and made lifelong friends. And after just one year at the School, she had so endeared herself to her classmates and teachers that she was chosen to be a School Prefect. In that position, she has proven to be an exemplary role model: she is open, kind, and generous, and positively influences those around her. Her life experiences – and her attitude towards them – have inspired all who know her. “I really believe people here at Shawnigan are very fortunate,” she shares. “Sometimes when people complain, I remind them that I come from a place where people have nothing. Not to make them feel bad, but just to realize that life here in Canada is pretty great. I always remind people that the harder you work, the better chance you have to make a better life for yourself.” That positive approach has defined her two years at Shawnigan. And while she has clearly embraced her new life in Canada, her heart remains firmly in Nepal. “I am grateful for everything that I am learning that I can bring back to my community,” she says excitedly. “Now, I am going to graduate as a School Prefect with a bundle of experience and knowledge that I got from Shawnigan, which I will pass on to students in my school back home in Nepal.” Tenzin is graduating from Shawnigan with a very clear vision of the path that lies ahead of her. The first step is to study business at a Canadian university. The next is to return to Nepal, give back to SMD, and work to effect change in her home country. Her entrepreneurial dreams include establishing health centres, schools, and orphanages in Nepal’s remote mountain villages.

“I have had so many obstacles and hardships in my life, but I am not scared of them because they have taught me so much and have made me a better and stronger person, and they have given me the tools to have a better future and to be able to help others,” she declares. In particular, her heart is with the Himalayan women of Nepal, who have limited access to education and virtually no job opportunities. It is up to people like her, she asserts, to bring about change for future generations. “I really want to create opportunities for those young girls to go to school and become educated. I want Himalayan people to be educated and strong so that younger generations won’t have to face poverty and social evils such as child marriage. My vision is a village full of educated people, especially young girls who have always been held back in their lives. I want to see the coming generations able to carry backpacks full of books, instead of carrying baskets full of firewood.” Tenzin is quick to share how much she has learned at Shawnigan, but the reality is that the School community has learned at least as much from her as she has from it. From the moment she arrived, Tenzin has modelled kindness, humility, and resilience, and has reminded everyone of the importance of education. She challenges us all to take a step back and ask one fundamental question: What does school mean?