By Lisa Jensen
Special to The SUN
Khamo KyiKhamo Kyi is a young woman living in India who is preparing to start college at St. Martha’s College of Nursing, where she will train to become a nurse.
At the age of 17, Kyi left her home and beloved family in Tibet and walked across the Himalayas to northern India. She knew her educational opportunities were extremely limited in Tibet (which is currently under Chinese control), and chose a path that would enable her to learn more about the world and gain an education.
She was able to attend high school at a Tibetan Children’s Village school in Dharamsala, in northern India, where she excelled in her academic studies, as well as learning and performing traditional Tibetan dance. She studied hard, often helping fellow students with math and sciences after the daily school schedule of 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. was over. Kyi was often at the top of her class and participated in as many extracurricular academic, cultural and spiritual activities as possible.
She exhibits compassion for others, not complaining when she has been ill or concerned about family members in Tibet. The families of some students in Dharamsala have been threatened or tortured when the authorities learned that their children left the country.
After completing the 10th grade, she was one of 80 top students chosen in the science stream to attend a Tibetan Children’s Village senior high school in Selakui, Dehradun. She has now passed all her examinations and graduated from high school. Kyi just won the top creative writing award in Tibet for all Tibetan Children’s Village schools, and is also proficient in English and Mandarin.
Kyi has just been accepted into a four-year bachelor of science program at St. Martha’s College of Nursing. St. Martha’s is in the Karnataka state in southern India. Kyi will be leaving relatives in northern India to attend college. She has a few sponsors, but now needs more to cover tuition and living expenses. Aikido of the San Juans is trying to raise a total of $1,700 per year for the next four years.
If you would like to help Kyi in her educational pursuits, please contact Lisa Jensen at aikidopagosa@centurytel.net or 264-0430.
