Jason Shah

BA, International Studies – Diplomacy and International Organizations. Concentrated coursework in Applied Mathematics and Spanish. University of New Orleans, New Orleans (LA)

Jason grew up in Kathmandu in the 90s just when Nepal leapfrogged to modernity. Today, he works to place together heritage of past with ambitions of future. Since his return from undergraduate studies in the USA and travels around the world, Jason has founded the SherpaShah group – a collection of enterprises and initiatives that is committed to grassroots tourism, food heritage, cultural traditions, and urban sustainability.

Through Raithaane and Kathmandu Food Collective, Jason is engaging local food supply chain in working with ancestral ingredients from diverse ethnic food cultures across Nepal. With NepaliTravellers, a travel foundation for travelers from Nepal, he hosts projects such as the Solo Woman Travel Challenge that provides fully-funded travel grants and mentorship support to woman travelers who commit to a solo journey across the country. In partnership with passionate historians and activists, he has set up the SherpaShah Heritage Fund that hosts regular walking tours through old towns of Kathmandu Valley and provides research fellowships to dig deeper into cultural traditions, both tangible and intangible.

Besides his ventures, Jason remains continuously engaged with the Dragons community, including hosting students for lectures and field visits. Jason has previously led several student courses as a field instructor with Dragons, and he is now excited to explore ideas of belonging and social change with adult travelers and educators.