Kailash Alumni
Though they leave Kailash Home after their Grade 12 exams, our graduates remain an integral part of the HYF family. Whether they go on to pursue a University degree, vocational school, or professional life, our alumni lead the way for future generations of Kailash Kids.
Featured Alumni
Yungdung Samten
Kailash Home Class of 2009
From a Tibetan refugee family, Yungdung spent his younger years traveling across Nepal experiencing firsthand the unique struggles of stateless peoples. He is not only a graduate of Kailash Home but also holds a degree in Agricultural Science from Universal College. In 2016, he created Mountain Resiliency, an NGO that aims to develop sustainable livelihoods as a key step in the ongoing struggle to build climate change resilient communities for social and economic justice. In addition to his continuing work with Mountain Resiliency, Yungdung is working to build a women’s shelter in his home village of Dhorpattan and has been instrumental in the construction of over 30 large-scale organic greenhouses in Nepal. He is an avid trekker and runs a horse ranch in his hometown. Yungdung is the living embodiment of the hopes and dreams that HYF has for all of our children — that they will thrive individually while elevating their communities in the process.
Jamyang Lhamo Gurung
Kailash Home Class of 2013
Born in the Dolpa district of Nepal, Jamyang first arrived at Kailash Home in 2002. In her own words, “[I never] believed that I was someone who would ever get the opportunity to study, but when I was brought to Kailash everything changed. Kailash Home is a land of opportunities. It is a place which gives us new hopes.” Following graduation from Kailash Home, Jamyang attended Bajra International College and recently graduated with her Bachelor of Social Work degree. She currently works as an English teacher in a monastery. Jamyang is an avid reader and plans to continue her lifelong journey of learning — she views education as an exciting and ever evolving profession. She also loves to travel and hike.
Sonam Choekyi Lama
Kailash Home Class of 2011
Sonam grew up in the Dolpa district of Nepal and recalls begging her mother to go to school from an early age. As she remembers, “to be enrolled in a school and with many children was a world [apart from] our village, a rare opportunity, and I was fortunate to be one.” Following graduation from Kailash Home, Sonam attended Kathmandu University School of Arts and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies. She is a freelance journalist whose pieces and photographs have appeared in a variety of publications including the Kathmandu Post, Itinary Magazine, and the Nepali Times. Sonam is particularly invested in documenting the culture and the lifestyle of the Dolpo region and views it as part of her professional and personal purpose to give back to her community.
Kailash Alumni Club
Established in 2016, the Kailash Alumni Club is a voluntary community and support group initiated by a group of graduated alumni. The group currently consists of roughly 40 members, young alumni living in Nepal and abroad, some of whom are currently attending university or vocational school and some who are currently working. The Alumni Club endeavors to maintain connection among graduates while supporting current Kailash Kids, especially those closest to Grade 12 graduation. Recently, many Alumni Club members were on hand for the 2019 Inauguration of the Social & Study Pavilions, and in early 2021 a group of alumni returned to residence at Kailash Home for a number of months during lockdown to serve as educational tutors and mentors to the current group of Kailash Kids.
Alumni Club Advisory Board
President - Soban Rokaya
Vice President - Pasang Lhamo Gurung
Executives - Nyima Wangdue Gurung, Sonam Tsering Gurung, Tenzin Zomkyi, Lila Tamang, Urken Rinji Sherpa, Suresh Bika, & Mangale Tamang
Advisors - Norsang Sherpa, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, Sonam Dolker, Sonam Choekyi, Sonam Tamang, & Thukten Lama