Ven. Dechen is a graduate of the Basic Program, an FPMT advanced education program in Buddhist philosophy and practice. She is currently a full-time student of the advanced seven-year FPMT Masters Program hosted by Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy. She first met the Dharma at Kopan Monastery in Nepal more than ten years ago and had the fortune to receive ordination as a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition from Lama Zopa Rinpoche at ILTK in 2017. Before devoting full time to the Dharma she worked in humanitarian aid; first in Ethiopia and Somaliland, then supporting projects for persons with disabilities in South Asia.