I Love Tibet is a student volunteer initiative that not only helps blind children and orphans in Tibet, but also offers a great opportunity for our students to learn how to be givers instead of receivers. The program was started ten years ago by one of our Kent School senior students.

"Ten years ago, we started with one person", explained Chloe Mao, 2019-2020 Program Director and senior at Kent School, Connecticut, USA.

Since then, I Love Tibet has expanded its volunteer team from a single private boarding school to over 15 private boarding schools and colleges in both the US and China. Our volunteers are students that hail from schools such as Western Reserve Academy, Berkshire, Indian Springs, Masters, American Heritage School, Hockaday, Emma Willard, Miss Porter's, Westtown, Georgetown Prep, St. Croix Lutheran Academy, Albany Academies, Xiamen International School, and universities such as the University of Chicago, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, UCLA, CMU, Georgia Tech, Penn State University, USC, Purdue, and so on. Over the past ten years, we have organized many themed events such as A Shoulder to Lean On, C4U, Open Your Eyes and Bundle-Up.

Over the past decade, I Love Tibet has impacted not only the lives of underprivileged Tibetan children, but those of our volunteers. During our trips, our volunteers not only learn about a different culture, but also gain new perspectives on their lives and their place in the world. Many of our volunteers return in subsequent years to continue their engagement, even after graduation, to donate their time, money, and efforts.

Our program is an initiative that creates an opportunity for growth and new challenges. 

The high altitude and lack of oxygen in Tibet has pushed the volunteers boundaries not just physically, but also psychologically making the entire volunteer program very challenging and motivating.

Tibet is well-known as a place of deep spirituality. In this mountainous region, red-robed monks walk along snowy mountain pathways and children gleam at the smallest joy. It is truly a magnificent place to further the cause of compassion and to recognize member's own privilege.