By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, April 21: A Tibetan immigrant from India has been sworn in to head a foremost engineering professional body in Alberta, Canada on Friday. Nima Dorjee, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) on April 20, was officially sworn in as the President of Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Edmonton.
A gracious Dorjee, after his appointment, was reported as saying “No one is an island. We all got where we are today with the help of others who deserve our thanks.” He especially thanked his mother to whom he attributed his journey. He said, “She raised us as a single mother in the refugee camp. While she never had the opportunity of a formal education for herself, she ensured that my brother and I became contributing members of society as professional engineers.”
The Tibetan engineer is also a stalwart figure in his own community. Dorjee is the Executive Director and President of the Project Tibet Society, an organization that spearheaded the project to resettle 1,000 Tibetan refugees from northeast India to Canada. He has also been closely involved in “projects tied to the Dalai Lama, even having worked at the Dalai Lama’s private office in India,” APEGA said.
For his work for human rights, the Tibetan engineer has been awarded the Canada Peace Medal in 1997 and the Calgary Freedom of Expression Award in 2007.
The new President of APEGA has previously held numerous positions within the organisation such as Vice-President; councillor; co-chair of the Joint Legislative Review Committee; and member of the Governance Committee, the Audit Committee, the Investigative Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Licensure Task Force.
