IT International: Pema Chhophyel

International Cultural Service Program
Thimpu, Bhutan

Pema Chhophyel is one of 40 International Cultural Service Program (ICSP).

Chhophyel would appear to be a child of the Internet age, yet he began life in one of the most remote villages in eastern Bhutan. From there, he embarked on a remarkable odyssey that led him to the capital city of Thimphu, where he attended high school and assisted his cousin in founding the first Internet café in the land. A series of serendipitous encounters eventually brought him to Eugene, where he's now completing a business degree at the UO and serving as operations VP for the student chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Chhophyel's personal journey from rural past to wired present is all the more impressive considering the Internet was not introduced in Bhutan until 1999. Prior to that, television was also unknown in the country. This slow introduction of technology was by design, part of a government strategy...

Go to IT Connections for the whole story...