Sonam Dolker

Empowering a Community

This summer, I worked with Adhikaar, an organization serving the needs of the Nepali-speaking community in New York City. I did everything from taking on social work cases, teaching English-for-Empowerment, and conducting a civic engagement campaign to get my community’s issues represented in the New York City elections. I learned of societal ills and stigmas, as well as multilateral efforts to fight them. Most of all, I learned how to strengthen a diverse community in a messy city, while asserting my own background as a Tibetan, Nepalese, and American.