Namkha Norsang is one of the founding members of Going Homestays and leads the technological development facet of the business. After ten years at North Point, Namkha began his higher education pursuing a general degree in Mechanical Engineering, but eventually he was attracted to the dynamic, fascinating field of robotics and artificial intelligence. In the last four years, he received his Master’s degree at Georgia Tech (USA) and has worked in both the drone services and medical robotics industries. Namkha's recent work at DEKA Research & Development in New Hampshire included the development and testing of control algorithms for the IBOT stair-climbing robotic wheelchair, as well as the FedEx SameDay autonomous delivery bot. He brings his technical expertise to the website/software development work at Going Homestays, and hopes to incorporate advanced AI capabilities into his company's digital services in the near future. Namkha believes strongly in the importance of mentorship for youth. He has worked as a teaching assistant and tutor for college math and computer science classes, and also served as a mentor in the Young Educated Tibetans Initiative (YETI) 2017 Mentorship Program which was designed to help young Tibetan and Tibetan-American students navigate the complex college, graduate school, and job application processes in America.

Ranjeeta Prasad is a Darjeeling native who has proven beyond doubt that it is absolutely possible to grow as a successful professional in our humble hill town. Ranjeeta has been a member of Sasheesh Prasad Design Studio (named after her late husband) for over 15 years and has worked on a diverse range of public, semi-public and private projects which include residences/apartments, hotels/resorts, commercial complexes, schools and more. In fact, some of the projects taken up by her group include that of the Batasia War memorial, the Red Cross, Mayfair Hotel, Elgin Hotel, St Paul's, North Point (auditorium) and Municipality Building (restoration). In her early years, Ranjeeta attened St. Helens School in Kurseong, and later attained a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Delhi University. Apart from her professional achievements, Ranjeeta is an avid supporter of social causes in Darjeeling and holds membership in the Darjeeling Goodwill center, the Shanker Foundation, Darjeeling Children's Trust (supporting member) and Citizens of Darjeeling.

Nilu Thapa believes that she is a rebel at heart, and her experiences and achievements back up her claim. Giving up a career in the IT industry, Nilu decided to follow her passion and began to document her life in her personal blog which eventually came to be known as BIG hair LOUD mouth (BHLM). Though BHLM started as a personal style diary with Style being its core content, Nilu also discusses her beauty experiences and travelogue through her blog. Nilu has been the recipient of several prestigious accolades such as the Best Fashion Blogger Award at the Indian Fashion Awards 2017, GQ 100 best-dressed list in 2018 and the COSMOPOLITAN India Bloggers award 2019. In a span of 7 years she has worked with both Indian and International brands and has had the opportunity to attend the Paris Fashion Week in 2015 and cover the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards twice (Madrid, Spain and New York, USA). Originally from Kalimpong, Nilu is currently based in Bangalore.

Prashanti Moktan believes that she is the 'queen of all trades' and is proud of herself for mastering many skills in the media world in her seven years of experience. Prashanti always wanted to feel the pulse of journalism and the media industry even as a student when she was still dreaming of what she wanted to be. After completing her schooling from Loreto Convent, her graduation in journalism from Christ University and post-graduation in broadcast journalism from IIMC, she is working currently as an Assistant Editor at India Today. With this, she furthers her digital media journey after tackling a plethora of diverse roles in PR and marketing and as a reporter, anchor, radio host and YouTuber. Though based in Delhi, her heart remains in her hometown Darjeeling.

Sunanda Tamang is the co-owner of Darjeeling's famous Tenzin’s gym, alongside her husband Tenzin Jamyang. Initially an Accounts graduate who flew with Qatar Airways for over six years, Sunanda's journey into the fitness world began roughly ten years ago when she decided to join the gym for her own personal fitness and health. Over time, her dedication and hunger to learn developed her into a role model whom others would look to for workout and dietary advice. Realizing that she had found her true calling, Sunanda decided to make it official and eventually became a certified sports nutritionist, holding a certified diploma in fitness science and personal training from K11 academy, Kolkata. Today, Sunanda has fitness and nutrition clients both in and out of her gym, and also consults nutrition clients online. Working in the fitness industry was never something she had thought about especially during her school days at Mount Hermon, but she was able to learn from her varied experiences, follow her heart, and create a career out of something she fell in love with later in life. @lives_in_motion

Shenpenn is a self taught musician and a filmmaker originally from Darjeeling and has been living in North America for over two decades. He has produced and hosted six episodes of an online talk show in Vancouver Canada entitled Life & Art with Shenpenn. Shenpenn has produced and directed several award winning films/documentaries, of which one was "JOURNEY OF A DREAM", the first Rockumentary from the Himalayas. His recent films include Jigden (the first Tibetan gangster film) and Lhasa Blues (the first Tibetan heist/crime/robbery thriller ever made). JIGDEN was featured in many film festivals around the world and has won Six International awards in the short film categories. Shenpenn just finished shooting his first Bollywood film with a working title “Shaadistan” where he debuts as an actor/associate director. He also contributed in its music and is set to release end of 2019. Shenpenn’s most personal project till date is his upcoming feature film called Broken Wings (a tragic love story set in the early 90’s) which is set to shoot in Darjeeling and Mumbai in 2019. Shenpenn is now pursuing his long time dream in Bollywood and intends to work in both India and the USA.

Doors - Panelist Regina Gurung @redwriting.hood - Journalist, Writer and Digital Nomad Regina Gurung's career started in 2016 when she graduated from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media with a Roll of Excellence Award in Reporting and Writing. Her story on the India-Nepal blockade in 2015 landed her a role of a reporter at The New Indian Express. Her entertainment stories quickly made it to Wikipedia references, because she was the first to provide information and was not hesitant to compete with leading magazines such as New Yorker and The Guardian. Taking full advantage of this facility, Regina made a concrete decision to move back home and provide employment for talented Darjeeling youths. She is currently an editor-in-chief of Dubai-based media house, DCMnetwork, investing heavily on Digital Marketing and curating relevant content. Besides these, Regina recently published a poetry collection titled ‘Heavenly Bodies and Human Things,’ which made it to Amazon’s 100 bestseller list in July. Regina firmly believes that self-empowerment is a precursor to the empowerment of the masses. Kairong Dhendup Lama @kairongdhendup - Mixed Martial Arts Competitor and Coach Kairong began his martial arts journey at the young age of 13 when he took up Karate. Over the years, he began to realise that traditional martial arts such as Karate were very limited in their scope and almost obsolete in certain situations. Looking for a more practical form of combat, he decided to try his hand at kickboxing and even won a few championships like the state WAKO (World Association of Kickboxing Organizations) West Bengal 2013. Soon thereafter, he moved to Delhi and discovered a significantly more complete combat system: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). What started off as a hobby for recreational purposes had now become a deeply-rooted passion. Delving deeper into this world, he spent some time abroad in Thailand where he honed his skills at Bangkok Fight Lab. Upon his return to India, he decided to take a hiatus from competition and began to teach MMA at Tenzing's gym in Darjeeling. Kairong believes that a true martial artist is one who has not just mastered the movements of his body, but also that of his mind. Kairong applies this fighter's philosophy to his everyday life and aspires to continue expanding his horizons. @deepankartuladhar Deepankar Tuladhar- Civil Engineer Deepankar firmly believes in the sheer power of hardwork. Passionate about Art and Science since childhood he wanted to pursue a career in Civil Engineering such that he could make the entire world his canvas. He aims to make his designs not just aesthetically pleasing but also efficient and economic. He intends to change the industry through his radical designs brick by brick. After spending his school years at St Paul's Darjeeling he pursued a BTech degree from the Sikkim-Manipal Institute of Technology. After graduating with a Gold medal he worked in the Kolkata Metro Project. He then decided to come home and serve his hometown. He is working on multiple projects in Darjeeling both private and government and is here to literally leave a mark in Darjeeling's landscape. Paul Gurung @paulgurung - Adventure Traveller and Businessman Paul believes that he is a businessman by profession, but an adventure traveler and explorer by choice. Since it is always better to see once than to talk about it a hundred times, Paul rides his Royal Enfield Himalayan to some of the most pristine and breathtaking locations one can find in this part of the world. He has traveled by motorcycle to Nepal, Bhutan, the Indo-Myanmar border, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and more than 20 states in India. He works, travels, and meets amazing, diverse people - things which would not be possible if one does not have the thirst for exploration. He feels that the best part about his work-life balance is that he gets to immerse himself in different cultures, learn new things and most of all grow on a daily basis. This has ultimately shaped his view on the world and has helped him to become a better person. Dr. Prerna Sharma @thesupremepotato - Dentist Teeth are generally some of the smallest things in the human body that can cause pain and suffering of gigantic proportions. Realizing that there was a need for more dental care in Darjeeling, Prerna currently works as a dentist at Lifeline Dental Centre and has been doing so for the past two years. Her early years were spent at Loreto Convent in Darjeeling before she moved to Delhi for her 11th and 12th. Subsequently, she pursued a Bachelor's in Dental Surgery from Faridabad, and also completed a diploma course in Root Canal Treatments and Aesthetic Dentistry. Her love for her hometown, together with the need for young, accomplished professionals in the hills brought her back to Darjeeling, and she also hopes to inspire the next generation of students wishing to pursue a career in medical sciences.

Namaste. We are team going Homestays and we are proud to announce that the DOORS career event held on Dec 8th in Darjeeling was a great success. We had almost a hundred student attendees from different schools around Darjeeling who were inspired and captivated by the various professionals whom we had invited as speakers. We are in the process of releasing video and text transcripts of the event so that we can reach an even wider audience of youngsters who will benefit from the content presented at the event. This could not have been possible without the well-wishers of Darjeeling, near and far, who in their own capacity, contributed their resources to make this event a success. Firstly we would like to thank all our GoFundMe donors whose monetary contributions fueled our work. We would also like to thank the Rotary club of Darjeeling and the Darjeeling Children's trust for their incessant advice and support from the very beginning. A big thank you to our volunteers from the Food and Craft institute whose leg-work was pivotal in making sure the event ran smoothly. We are also very grateful to our business sponsors and partners. Finally, thank you to the students who came and attended the event: you are the ones who keep inspiring us to do even more. With this in mind, our future plans include making this event a yearly phenomenon. Such unconventional career events have never been done before in Darjeeling and the need of the hour is for more young people in Darjeeling to step up and support our own struggling brothers and sisters. We hope that the DOORS event has set a precedence for an educational and professional revolution in the hills, and it is high time that we take the responsibility of bettering ourselves into our own hands. Thank you.