A selection of testimonials from this year’s recipients.
What does this scholarship mean to you?
“For the past sixteen years, I have dedicated my life to the Tibet movement, serving in multiple leadership roles including two terms as a Tibetan Parliamentarian and as Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet and Tibet Action Institute. I am pursuing the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School to strengthen the foundations of leadership and governance. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship carries profound personal meaning. I remain grateful and deeply committed to our struggle of freedom and democracy guided by the leadership and vision of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.”
Dorjee Tseten
Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“I see myself as a bridge between generations of Tibetans. Many families in the diaspora face profound spiritual loneliness. Many Tibetan students in diaspora struggle financially, and as a monk without income, this support means more than words can express. It will allow me to continue my studies and my lifelong commitment to serving our community.”
Ven. Ngawang Woser
Master of Psychospiritual Studies (MPS), Emmanuel College, University of Toronto
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“My academic and professional interests center on advancing equitable, culturally responsive mental health care for immigrant, refugee, and other historically marginalized communities. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is an incredible honor and a meaningful reminder of my responsibility to serve the Tibetan community. I am deeply grateful to the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for investing in my education and future. This scholarship strengthens my commitment to lifelong learning, compassionate service, and giving back through work that reflects His Holiness’s values of compassion.”
Tsering Dolkar Choedhar
MS Social Work, Columbia University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a deeply meaningful honor for me. I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have the support and backing of our leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness’s lifelong commitment to promoting peace, compassion, harmony, and human dignity continues to inspire me, and I see this scholarship not only as financial support for my education but also as a responsibility to live up to those values. I hope to use the knowledge, skills, and experiences I gain through my education to eventually support sustainable economic opportunities and help create conditions in which individuals and communities can thrive.”
Kunga Chemi
Master in Business Analytics, Rutgers University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“My academic journey is shaped by my lived experience as a third-generation Tibetan born in India and now a resident of Canada. My current research focuses on the vulnerabilities created by closed work permit systems in Canada, especially within the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is both an honour and a profound source of inspiration. I hope to carry forward the values embodied by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in both my research and community engagement.”
Tenzin Khentse
PhD Policy Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“As a Tibetan American graduate student, I am deeply invested in understanding how organizations can translate their stated values into meaningful, everyday practices. My long-term goal is to help reshape organizational cultures so they genuinely care for the people within and around them, ultimately using this work to strengthen mission-driven institutions and serve the Tibetan community. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a profound honor and a responsibility. I am immensely grateful to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for investing in the next generation and anchoring us in our responsibility to carry forward a legacy of compassion and systemic impact.”
Tenzin Kunga
MS Social Work, Columbia University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“To me, economics is a powerful framework for understanding how institutions, technological change, and public policy shape people’s opportunities. I am extremely grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for this scholarship, which allows me to pursue my education with greater focus while inspiring me to carry compassion, integrity, and service into my work. I hope to become an economist whose research expands opportunity and ensures that communities too often overlooked are meaningfully represented in economic policy and business opportunities.”
Penpa Dolma
MS Economics, American University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“I am deeply grateful to be receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship this year. As an aspiring physician, I hope to provide culturally relevant care to Tibetans as well as understand the unique health disparities and needs our community faces. By better understanding how to address the health challenges faced by Tibetans in the diaspora through preventive and precision medicine, I aim to give back to my community in a meaningful way in the future. I am honored to have this opportunity, and I hope to contribute to the long-term health and resilience of Tibetan communities.”
Tenzin Yeshi Wangdak Yuthok
MD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“I am grateful to the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for entrusting me with this scholarship, and for the privilege of pursuing my studies in honour of His Holiness. With the generous support of this award, I am studying how evidence-based services can be delivered at scale to improve population health outcomes in under-resourced settings. I have a particular interest in questions of implementation and process—how interventions move from evidence into practice, and how they can be made to work within the social and material realities of people’s lives. I am committed to carrying forward His Holiness’s example of compassion and humility into this work.”
Pema Khando
MS Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“As a Physician Assistant, my goal is to provide compassionate and culturally sensitive care while continuing to serve communities with limited access to healthcare. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a profound honor and meaningful recognition of the values that have guided my life. This scholarship serves as a reminder to continue pursuing my goals with gratitude and to honor the sacrifices and dedication of the older generations who paved the way for us. Most importantly, as a future healthcare professional, I hope to carry forward the core mission of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion, kindness, and service by using my education to benefit others.”
Phuntsok Lhamo
Physician Associate (Master’s), SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Scholarship recipient 2026-27
“As someone who grew up in a remote Tibetan community in India, I often witnessed the healthcare disparities our community faced on a daily basis. This exposure shaped my interest in healthcare at an early age and fostered a sense of responsibility toward our community and communities like ours. As a Tibetan student in the diaspora, I am grateful to receive support connected to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the principles of compassion, service, and responsibility that he represents. I hope to honor this opportunity by upholding these values throughout my education and career and by using my knowledge and training to serve others, particularly communities where access to healthcare remains limited.”
Scholarship
Scholarship Recipients 2026/27
A selection of testimonials from this year’s recipients.
What does this scholarship mean to you?
“For the past sixteen years, I have dedicated my life to the Tibet movement, serving in multiple leadership roles including two terms as a Tibetan Parliamentarian and as Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet and Tibet Action Institute. I am pursuing the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School to strengthen the foundations of leadership and governance. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship carries profound personal meaning. I remain grateful and deeply committed to our struggle of freedom and democracy guided by the leadership and vision of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.”
“I see myself as a bridge between generations of Tibetans. Many families in the diaspora face profound spiritual loneliness. Many Tibetan students in diaspora struggle financially, and as a monk without income, this support means more than words can express. It will allow me to continue my studies and my lifelong commitment to serving our community.”
“My academic and professional interests center on advancing equitable, culturally responsive mental health care for immigrant, refugee, and other historically marginalized communities. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is an incredible honor and a meaningful reminder of my responsibility to serve the Tibetan community. I am deeply grateful to the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for investing in my education and future. This scholarship strengthens my commitment to lifelong learning, compassionate service, and giving back through work that reflects His Holiness’s values of compassion.”
“Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a deeply meaningful honor for me. I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have the support and backing of our leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness’s lifelong commitment to promoting peace, compassion, harmony, and human dignity continues to inspire me, and I see this scholarship not only as financial support for my education but also as a responsibility to live up to those values. I hope to use the knowledge, skills, and experiences I gain through my education to eventually support sustainable economic opportunities and help create conditions in which individuals and communities can thrive.”
“My academic journey is shaped by my lived experience as a third-generation Tibetan born in India and now a resident of Canada. My current research focuses on the vulnerabilities created by closed work permit systems in Canada, especially within the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is both an honour and a profound source of inspiration. I hope to carry forward the values embodied by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in both my research and community engagement.”
“As a Tibetan American graduate student, I am deeply invested in understanding how organizations can translate their stated values into meaningful, everyday practices. My long-term goal is to help reshape organizational cultures so they genuinely care for the people within and around them, ultimately using this work to strengthen mission-driven institutions and serve the Tibetan community. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a profound honor and a responsibility. I am immensely grateful to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for investing in the next generation and anchoring us in our responsibility to carry forward a legacy of compassion and systemic impact.”
“To me, economics is a powerful framework for understanding how institutions, technological change, and public policy shape people’s opportunities. I am extremely grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for this scholarship, which allows me to pursue my education with greater focus while inspiring me to carry compassion, integrity, and service into my work. I hope to become an economist whose research expands opportunity and ensures that communities too often overlooked are meaningfully represented in economic policy and business opportunities.”
“I am deeply grateful to be receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship this year. As an aspiring physician, I hope to provide culturally relevant care to Tibetans as well as understand the unique health disparities and needs our community faces. By better understanding how to address the health challenges faced by Tibetans in the diaspora through preventive and precision medicine, I aim to give back to my community in a meaningful way in the future. I am honored to have this opportunity, and I hope to contribute to the long-term health and resilience of Tibetan communities.”
“I am grateful to the Gaden Phodrang Foundation for entrusting me with this scholarship, and for the privilege of pursuing my studies in honour of His Holiness. With the generous support of this award, I am studying how evidence-based services can be delivered at scale to improve population health outcomes in under-resourced settings. I have a particular interest in questions of implementation and process—how interventions move from evidence into practice, and how they can be made to work within the social and material realities of people’s lives. I am committed to carrying forward His Holiness’s example of compassion and humility into this work.”
“As a Physician Assistant, my goal is to provide compassionate and culturally sensitive care while continuing to serve communities with limited access to healthcare. Receiving the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship is a profound honor and meaningful recognition of the values that have guided my life. This scholarship serves as a reminder to continue pursuing my goals with gratitude and to honor the sacrifices and dedication of the older generations who paved the way for us. Most importantly, as a future healthcare professional, I hope to carry forward the core mission of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion, kindness, and service by using my education to benefit others.”
“As someone who grew up in a remote Tibetan community in India, I often witnessed the healthcare disparities our community faced on a daily basis. This exposure shaped my interest in healthcare at an early age and fostered a sense of responsibility toward our community and communities like ours. As a Tibetan student in the diaspora, I am grateful to receive support connected to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the principles of compassion, service, and responsibility that he represents. I hope to honor this opportunity by upholding these values throughout my education and career and by using my knowledge and training to serve others, particularly communities where access to healthcare remains limited.”