Pema Selden – (B.A Eng & Evs, 2018)

The single most dreaded moment one goes through is the time after graduation where you are hanging on a thread and deciding what to do next. The amount of pressure you face with people around you asking “What next?” or “Don’t add to the unemployment line” is overwhelming. Let’s face it, we have all been there at one point in time. This was the second time for me. I had tried my hand at higher education before and it was an utter failure. But I have always lived by the words of one of my most cherished authors, JK Rowling. “Your conception of failure might not be too far removed from the average person's idea of success.” There are different types of failure, but you alone have the choice to either live with it or do something about it. I chose the latter.

Royal Thimphu College was my second attempt. I graduated in July 2018 but it all began when I went to Japan for the Seisa - RTC cultural exchange program in January of 2018. I met the Founder/CEO of Seisa Group, Mr. Miyazawa through this program. In April 2018, Mr. Miyazawa was in Bhutan for a business trip. I had the honor of meeting him again, and it was then that he offered to sponsor my further education. I applied to the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo. Back then, I did not realize the amount of stress I would be putting myself through, applying to such an esteemed institution, but my efforts were made much easier and bearable since I did not have the burden of financing the admission process.

In October, I came to Japan and officially started working for The Foundation for Global Children under Seisa Group. Around this time, I was also preparing for my tests (TOEFL and GRE). TOEFL was rather easy but my struggle was with the GRE. It had been quite some time since I studied Maths, but I persevered through it since the idea of not getting into University of Tokyo was not an option for me any more: It was THE ONLY grad school I was applying to. When the results for the tests came out, I was shocked and the scores exceeded my expectations. On 1st March, 2019 I was notified that I was officially accepted into University of Tokyo and the rest is history.  

My deepest gratitude goes to Seisa Group for first employing me and then sponsoring me so that I could chase my life-long dream of studying Public Policies. Seisa is a beacon of hope for everyone who knows of its existence. After hearing about the plight of some of the students in Japan, Seisa offered temporary shelter and food for those in need and even went to the extent of employing another RTC alumni who came to Japan through the Learn-and-Earn Program in one of Seisa’s esteemed schools. I can only wish that the friendship bestowed by Seisa to Bhutan and RTC in particular bloom eternally.