One Student's Amazing Journey to Montville

Seven years ago, Tashi Lhamo was herding yak in Tibet. And if she were still there, she figures she now would be married, with children, and still herding yak, sheep and horses.

“That’s what my two older sisters are doing,” she says.

Yet Tashi has traveled a remarkable journey – from living with her nomadic family in her native land to being a senior at Montville High School. Here, she is a straight-A student and is on track to finish eighth in her class.

She could speak virtually no English when she came to Montville as a sophomore in 2008 but now she speaks perfect English and writes the language to near perfection.

“What she has done is nothing short of remarkable,” said Robert Thorn, who coordinates English learning to students whose first language isn’t English. “She is very courageous and a great inspiration to others.”

Tashi's Path

To know about who Tashi is, it’s important to follow her journey.

She is one of 12 brothers and sisters and she lived in Tibet until she was 12 years old. She had no education and her family traveled constantly. “Every season,” she said, “we would go to where the grass was the greenest for our animals.”

 To her, there was as no world outside of her insular native land.

“I knew of no other place,” she said. “I had heard of the United States but I had no idea where it was. I thought it might be a part of Tibet or something.”

Tibet is a troubled land. It is coveted by the Chinese, who claim Tibet to be a part of their historical domain. The Dalai Lama, who is both the head of state and Buddhist spiritual leader of Tibet, lives in exile.

Tashi, in 2003, became a refugee, traveling to southern India. There she was joined by other Tibetans at a school  built for refugees. She lived, she explained, in one of 30 dormitory-style buildings, with 50 students to each building. She was emotionally lost and homesick, often crying herself to sleep at night.

Here, with half of her family

She came to the United States in 2007, where her father and six of her siblings lived. Her mother remains in Tibet to be close to three of Tashi's brothers and two sisters. Her father lives in Montville and works at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

 She spent her first year in New York City, but she said 2007 was pretty much a lost year. So when she came to Montville High School in 2008, she spoke very little English.

“It took me about three months to feel comfortable – to get used to the language and the culture,” she said. “But I got a great deal of help from my teachers and other students. Without their help, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

She plans to go to college and already has been accepted at three institutions, including the University of Vermont. Tufts University might be her first choice, she said, because they have a high-caliber medical school, and she wants to become a physician.  “To help people,” she said.

She is hoping for a full scholarship because her family has no financial means.

“Everything I get, I have to get by myself,” she said.

 Her family is separated by a great geographical and political divide. Tashi prays for a day when the family can be reunited.

“It is a very sad situation,” she said. The last time she saw her mother was in 2005, when she visited Tashi in India.

Tashi plans to continue living in the United States but eventually to return to Tibet to visit her family.

A model, a leader

Thorn described Tashi as an inspiration to others. He said that after school she often visits the Mohegan School or the Leonard J. Tyl Middle School to tutor foreign-born students who are learning English.

“She’s become a leader of the young Tibetan community,” Thorn said. “She’s become the go-to person.”

 Thorn is amazed by some of the stories Tashi tells.

“When she was herding the yak, she was protected by a 200-pound Tibetan mastiff,” he said. “That’s the only thing that kept the bears, wolves and thieves at bay.”