Alena Zaslov

B.A. International Relations and Linguistics, minor in Anthropology with a concentration in Eastern Asian Studies

Growing up in Ohio, Alena always had a desire to travel to see the world. From a young age she was interested in cultures from around the world. When she was 16 she moved to Finland for a year to become an exchange student. During this year she travelled the Baltic surrounding areas of Europe and visited Thailand. Ever since stepping foot in Asia she was mesmerized by the cultures and tradition. Upon returning to the USA she volunteered and headed an AFS (American Field Service) chapter for incoming international students. Once she graduated high school she picked up her things and headed to Nepal in 2012. Her time in Nepal was spent doing work in the local communities, living with a Sherpa family, hiking near the Himalayas, learning about buddhism and monastic life, and studying Tibetan in a monastery. The monastery and people in Nepal have become a home for her. Alena also spent time in studying in Esukhia school for Tibetan language preservation India in McLeodgang, India. During that time she was able to hear the Dalai Lama speak on multiple occasions and become more engaged in the refugee Tibetan community.

After about two years in the Himalaya region she started her undergrad. Alena’s studies in school reflected her passions in life. Her focus became Tibet in many dimensions. She studies the  Tibetan community, evolution of Tibet, politics and relations to China, human rights, and so on. Her studies on human rights led her to her research on global human rights focusing on rights of indigenous and native communities and their access to rights in comparison to “regular citizens” in surrounding areas.

Throughout school she continued her connections to the international community through her independent research and travels through Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia. In 2017 she spent her summer in France as the international member & assistant director of a CISV village. In 2018 she spent her summer running programs for Rustic Pathways in Thailand, and in 2019 she came to Dragons where she was an instructor for the North India program. Alena now lives in Northern China working in education.

When she’s not studying a language, she can normally be found stargazing on a roof or walking around taking in her surroundings.