Khenpo Pema Wangdak became a monk at the age of seven and went on to attend the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and Sanskrit University. In 1982 he was sent to teach in New York City, becoming the first of his generation of Tibetan teachers to settle in the United States. He founded the Vikramasila Foundation in 1989 to support educational initiatives around the world. In recognition of his humanitarian work, he became the first Tibetan to be awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Khenpo Pema Wangdak
