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 Holly Borday,as a junior at the University of Vermont, was the VIS intern for the spring 2009 semester. After graduating, she was the senior teacher of the Fall 2010 gap semester program. Originally from Rhode Island, Holly has resided in Costa Rica, England and Burlington, VT. She received a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Community & International Development. She spent the summer of 2008 working as an Environmental Educator for VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science) and in summer 2009 she is working on Martha’s Vineyard as part of a biological field crew for the Audubon Society studying threatened coastal bird species. Holly hopes to continue working for VIS and ultimately pursue further studies in International Environmental Policy. In her spare time, you can find Holly in the mountains of Vermont snowboarding, hiking and climbing, or on the beaches of Rhode Island playing guitar, collecting shells and surfing.
 Tsering Kunzes has been working for VIS as the Ladakhi language teacher since the fall ’08. Originally from the village Shachukul in the Changthang region of Ladakh, Kunzes has been residing at SECMOL for the past four years. She began her time at SECMOL as a student and ultimately became a member of the staff working as a teacher and guide. Kunzes attended Leh College where she received a B.A. studying Political Science, English, Urdu and Education. Kunzes enjoys listening to music, learning languages, spending time with family, playing guitar and climbing the Himalayan mountains in her free time. She is especially interested in environmental conservation and hopes to work towards preserving Ladakh’s natural environment.
 Konchok Norgay (“Acho Norgay”), from a farming family in Shachukul village in eastern Ladakh, has been at SECMOL since 1999, initially as a student. After attending a primary teacher’s training, an English course for teachers, and a workshop on solar lantern installation and maintenance, he joined SECMOL as staff in 2004. He has been the technical manager for all the solar electricity, solar heating, solar cookers and water heaters, and also for other technical things like the water supply. Now he is the overall manager of SECMOL Campus. He has completed training on Eco-Village Design Education in Thailand at Wangsit Ashram, and the Trainer of Trainers course there as well. He has also attended a course on building with arches, vaults and domes in earth at Auroville in Pondicherry India. He has represented SECMOL at international conferences in Tamil Nadu for the Future Earth Network of environmental organizations in 2007, in Kathmandu for the World Mountain People’s Association in 2008, and in Leh about Energy and Climate Change in 2009. He gave a lecture tour in Sweden with a slide show about solar energy in Ladakh in 2008. Since 2004 Norgay has been teaching various subjects at SECMOL but mostly solar energy and climate change and working with VIS on their practical science projects.
 Rebecca Norman (“Achay Becky”) is from New York and Massachusetts and has lived in Ladakh at SECMOL most of the time since 1992. She has published Getting Started in Ladakhi: a phrasebook for learning Ladakhi, edited the Ladakhi-English-Urdu Dictionary, and was assistant editor of Ladags Melong magazine. She has a Bachelors in International Studies from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, and a Masters in Education from Harvard.
 Thalassa Raasch is the Spring 2011 VIS English Teaching Intern. She spent the fall in Vermont teaching at the Mountain School after earning her BA in Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University in the spring. At Harvard she was the arts editor of a literary magazine, designed theater sets, and lived in a cooperative house. She grew up near Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she spent many summers working as an apprentice to a local beekeeper. She is excited to investigate local apian practice, learn Ladakhi songs, and work on a design build project to help create new sustainable housing after recent flooding.
 Nate Thayer, the fall intern for the 2010 fall gap semester, is returning to VIS as a spring teacher. Nate graduated from the University of Vermont in 2009 with a degree in Socio-Culturistic Anthropology and Environmental Studies. He has moved back home to Martha’s Vineyard to work with his father building furniture. Nate has been a mentor for the Big Brother Big Sister program for over six years and was a Dream mentor for all four years he lived in Burlington. He has worked as a volunteer on conservation projects in Australia and in Croatia, and was a member of a high altitude climbing expedition in the Peruvian Andes. He finds the high altitude environment totally enchanting.
 Tashi Wangchuk is the VIS Ladakhi teacher/guide, and has led trekking and mountaineering trips to Ladakh and Sikkim for several years. He is the former president of the Buddhist Association of Ladakh’s Kargil district and was manager of the Lamayuru Monastery Guesthouse, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, for several years. Tashi comes from a traditional Ladakhi Amchi (ancient healing practice) family in the remote Chiktan Valley of Ladakh and is highly respected in the Ladakhi community. As well as providing insights into Ladakhi ways and culture, he is accomplished at arranging treks, homestays, internships, transportation and whatever is needed. Tashi brings a wealth of country knowledge and experience to the VIS program and students.
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