Holly Gayley arrived at Shambhala Mountain Center in time to put up tents for the Sakyong’s first seminary in 1992. The following year, she returned to join the staff for two years and, in the late 1990s, served as Machen (cook) to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche during his visits to Colorado. Holly pursued an M.A. in Buddhist Studies at Naropa University (2000) and moved to Boston for a Ph.D. in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Harvard (2009). Her research into contemporary Buddhist literature and its lived contexts brought her to the rolling grasslands of Golok, the land of Gesar in eastern Tibetan, on frequent trips between 2004 and 2007 and several visits more recently. She served on the Sakyong’s Council from 2005 to 2010 and is Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Konchok Foundation, supporting educational opportunities in the Surmang region of eastern Tibet.