Tenzin Bhagen has seen hardship in his life. His family was broken when China invaded the Himalyan nation of Tibet, and he left his homeland to find an education.
Through the efforts of some faculty members, Bhagen has found a place to get that education here at GVSU. The university is sponsoring Bhagen and providing him with assistance for his educational expenses.
Bhagen was born in 1964 and grew up in the Rongpo region of Tibet in a family that included local chieftains before the 1950 invasion.
When Bhagen was young, his father was killed because he organized a rebellion against the Chinese occupation. His uncles died in Chinese prisons, and his brothers were tortured.
I grew up with hardship, Bhagen said. As I grew up, I realized that I needed to get an education.
Seeing no way to get an education in Tibet, Bhagen fled across the Himalayas into India in 1987, where he finished high school.
In 1996, he came to the U.S. with his wife. For the next several years, he worked for an organization called the Milarepa Fund, which was established by the hip-hop group Beastie Boys to raise awareness of the Tibetan situation and other human rights struggles. The organization also set up a series of high-profile Tibetan Freedom Concerts.
But for me, to get a proper education is very important, he said. For this I left my mother and my whole family in Tibet, and I haven't seen them ever since.
Bhagen misses his family, but he says that just shows how important education is to him.
It's really difficult, but my family is happy that I'm studying and working for Tibet. They're very proud of me, he said.
Not only is he separated from his family in Tibet, he is far from his wife, Kara Frame, who still lives in San Francisco.
Bhagen began studying journalism at GVSU in the fall. He says he would like to write about Tibet after he finishes school. He lives in Allendale.
I think it's a great place to study. There's no place to distract you, said Bhagen, noting that it also helps to live on campus. That really helps psychologically.
