Jangchu Dema

Jangchu Dema, female, 32 years, from Trashigang. She was unemployed likes to learn cooking international dishes and her aspiration is working in a 5 star hotel.
Jangchu Dema was born on December 12th, 1984 at Tashigang, Changmi which is in the eastern part of Bhutan . She is the youngest sibling and has two sisters and one brother. All three are married including herself. Her family lives in Thimphu, which is the capital of Bhutan. Her eldest sister is a housewife and her other sister runs a shop in Thimphu. Her brother makes statues for monasteries. Her father is a lay priest (gomchen) in Tashigang itself and he mother passed away when she was 2 years old due to sickness.
She married her husband in 2013 when she finished her class 12 through adult education. He is currently in India as an IT Technician. She wanted to join BIHT as she got tired of just staying at home. She got interested in BIHT after knowing there was a course in Food Production and after talking it through with her husband decided to enroll. She was one of the first applicants to register at BIHT. She always had a passion for cooking and grasped this opportunity.
She loves cooking Bhutanese dishes and is also excited when she learns the new dishes. She has adapted her taste in food and is not only interested in Bhutanese dishes but other cuisine as well. Sometimes she finds her classes a bit difficult but she has the help of her Trainer and Assistant Trainer. Her quiet demeanor has won the affection of many of her class mates and they all respectfully call her “big sister”. She holds the responsibility of being the dormitory captain and in the kitchen has a similar role.
Her future goals are realistic and she is content starting from working at a 3 star hotel then onwards to a 5 star. After that in a year or two she plans to open her own restaurant business where she will serve Bhutanese, Indian and Western cuisine.

Shangkha Raj Gurung

Shangkha Raj Gurung, male, 18 years old, from Samtse, he is very interested in food and restaurant. His aim is to find a good job to support his brother.
Shangkraj was born on June 8th, 1997 at Thimphu Hospital. He is the middle child of two brothers. His oldest brother is 20 years and plans to go back to school to continue his secondary education. His younger brother is 13 years old and is a student at Woochu which is in Paro itself. His brothers lives in Paro with his father but their hometown is Samtsi which is the southern region of Bhutan. His father currently works at Charo Tshongdrel Company in Damtsi, Paro and his mother lives in Phuntsholing (south of Bhutan).
As a young adult he takes the burden of his family in his hands. During his winter vacation, he would not stay idle like other youths and used that time to financially support his family by collecting red rice and doing farm work at the apple orchard. It was hard manual work yet he was happy to lessen his father’s responsibility and provide for his family.
He came to know about BIHT as his guardian suggested him to enroll at that institute and not take a job as a chef assistant as he was young and he still could make his future bright and not regret when he becomes older by being in a stagnant job.
He is currently enrolled in Food and Beverage department and enjoys interacting with guests and serving them. He has confidence in introducing the menu to the guests and strives to be skilled in it.
His direction towards his future is that he wants to progress career wise and also make a good living for his family. For him financial stability and experience is important and he plans to make it a reality.

Arpana Rai

Arpana Rai, female, 21 years, from Chuka, likes to interact with people and cleaning.
Arpana was born on 9th October, 1994 at Lingden, Chukha which is in the south region of Bhutan. She is the youngest child and has an elder brother who is 24 years old. Her family is still living in Lingden, where her father works as a caretaker and her mother is a housewife. Her family includes her grandmother, grandfather and a cousin brother.
Arpana finished class XII Commerce with 61 % but did not qualify to enroll in Bhutan’s government university. She qualified for Sherubtse University in Kanglung located in the eastern region of Bhutan but had to take Economics which she was not confident in. Her ambition was to be a doctor when she was younger. She has recently got a call from Gedu University which is under Chukha district, her home state, that she was eligible for enrolling at that university but has to be self financed. She was proud of her achievement on getting accepted for further studies but ultimately decided to remain at BIHT as she made many friends and also realized that she was gaining knowledge and experience through this involvement.
Initially, Arpana was not aware of BIHT but had heard of it from her constituent’s (home state) Member of Parliament (MP) when she visited him regarding problems with her census. He had advised her to enroll in BIHT and she gladly did so. After hearing about BIHT and their programme she knew it was a wise decision because she was always interested in interacting with people and through this will get job experience which is a crucial criteria for recruitment. So she thinks this is an easier way to get a job.
She is currently enrolled in the rooms division department including housekeeping and front office. Her career goals are not too ambitious and she simply wants to work in a 5 star hotel in Bhutan and one day maybe become a housekeeping manager.