He grew up in a remote village in northern Nepal, walking two hours each day to and from school.  And in July, Tara Niraula, a TC alumnus who is currently a Senior Research Scholar and Director of Research Projects at the College, was among five distinguished South Asians honored recently by William C. Thompson, New York City Comptroller, for their leadership and contributions to strengthening immigrant communities in New York and beyond.

Niraula was recognized for his work with newcomers and immigrants to the New York City school system, particularly English Language Learners (ELL).  Niraula worked with the city schools to develop a policy to provide translation and interpretation services for non-English speaking parents to help them communicate with the schools.  He also advocated for legislation to allow qualified non-citizen residents of New York City to be licensed as permanent teachers. Prior to the passage of that legislation, only citizens could be licensed as permanent teachers.  The award also honored Niraula's work in strengthening U.S.-Nepalese ties and development, promotion and preservation of South Asian Culture and Heritage.

Niraula began his formal education at the age of 13 while working on his family's farm. Eventually he earned his undergraduate and master's degrees at the National University of Nepal and was subsequently offered a number of positions in his community, including mayor, junior and senior high school principal, and assistant lecturer at the local university.  In addition to working as a teacher and administrator in the Nepalese schools, he served as an administrator with the Save the Children Fund and worked in a government program to develop vocational and technical education.  in 1992-93, he was a member of the Nepalese delegation to the UNICEF executive board. 

At TC in the early 1990s, Niraula pursued a master's degree and EdD in education administration, served as President of the Student Senate, and was the student representative on the search committee that hired Arthur Levine as President.  He later became an adjunct faculty member in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies while also working full time for the New York Immigration Coalition Organization, a group that focuses on newcomer education policies and advocacy in New York State and beyond. 

In accepting his recent award, Niraula compared Nepali cultural values of hard work, honesty, loyalty, bravery and perseverance to the values embraced by the founding fathers in the United States Constitution.  "Immigrants have been the backbone of the growth and development of this city, this state, and this nation," Niraula said.  "We Nepali community members understand the importance of this tradition and respect the policies of openness and fairness that support it." 

Published Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2006