Ali Shahbazyar
Traditionally dressed in her orange robe and sandals, Venerable Phramaha Metta Medhavini certainly stands out on the Pierce College campus, though it may be the last place one might expect to find a Buddhist monk.
Founder and Abbess of Wat Dharma Maitreya Temple in San Diego, Calif., Venerable Metta expresses a strong philanthropic drive to take care of young, talented individuals around the world.
It is this drive that led Venerable Metta to establish an education-based charitable organization.
The focus of her organization is to provide international and underprivileged students a means to pursue higher education.
“I have a lot of members from different religions, age groups, education levels and ethnic backgrounds.
The organization’s purpose is to help those in need without reservation or any form of prejudice,” she explained.
“Venerable Metta helped me to find a scholarship to study in the United States. Her organization gave me a chance to pursue my educational dream in computer science, starting at Pierce College. She has guided me to be more open-minded and adaptable to such a new culture,” said Tam Tran, 18.
Venerable Metta’s dedication to making higher education accessible to all those who seek it is best explained by her life philosophy:
“There is no ending to learning, but only a beginning of the quest for knowledge.
“Only when you’ve learned, you can teach. When you can teach, you can inspire. When you can inspire, others can dream. Ultimately one can achieve wisdom and knowledge.”
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