After graduating from Concordia College, Bliss Tungnung ’22 refused to play it safe and returned home to the Indian state of Manipur, despite her parents’ concern for her safety. On May 3, 2023, a civil war broke out that has left Manipur in turmoil ever since.
However, Tungnung could not ignore the needs of her community. She found work as a counselor and community mobilizer for displaced and traumatized people through her church.
During this dark time, Tungnung wanted to provide hope for children affected by the ethnic and religious violence happening in her community and opened Bliss International School in January.
The school currently supports 100 children who have been displaced and there are hundreds more on the waiting list.
While attending Concordia, Tungnung was a recipient of the International Women Leadership Program through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and studied psychology. She chose this major because she saw a need for it in her community.
Dr. Mark Krejci, professor of psychology and Tungnung’s academic advisor during her time at the college, remembers her as a student who came in eager to learn despite the challenges that awaited her.
“She was a bit overwhelmed with the cultural differences between home and the U.S., but she always demonstrated a tenacity to accomplish her goal of a Concordia College degree,” Krejci said.
According to Tungnung, her tribe does not discuss mental illness, and at least 80% of the schools in her home state are not ready to turn away from corporal punishment due to a lack of information on child psychology.
“Currently in my town, Churachandpur, there are three rehabilitation centers for youth drug users. Our population is the size of Fargo-Moorhead's population of 200,000. These rehab centers have between 700-1,500 drug users. The youths are mostly from families with high domestic violence and trauma,” she said.
This is why Tungnung originally moved back and worked as a counselor through the church. However, her eye eventually turned toward education.
“To me, education is the number one foundation in creating a global citizen,” Tungnung said.
This is one of the goals specified in Concordia’s mission statement, to create engaged citizens who will influence the affairs of the world — words Kreiji said Tungnung truly understood. Tungnung also mentioned that the campus values diverse ideas and encourages students to create an international community.
At Bliss International School, Tungnung is focused on more than just academic education.
“The main problem I see with education in my city is the lack of psychological awareness. I believe that education should foster the child both academically and mentally to utilize their knowledge to the fullest, “ she said.
Tungnung recalls the most rewarding moment on this journey was when she saw her third-graders develop their writing skills. Her students went from being unable to read to being able to express their emotional needs in writing for Tungnung to read.
Another challenge Tungnung and her staff face is securing donors to keep the struggling school open.
“Our dedicated staff has been working tirelessly to ensure that these children receive the education they deserve. However, we are now at a critical juncture where our resources are stretched thin, and the risk of children dropping out of school due to financial constraints looms large,” she said.
Building a school just a year after graduating college was a huge undertaking, but Tungnung wouldn’t have it any other way.
“After working here amidst the ethnic violence, I realized anyone is capable of doing more than we imagined.”
Written by Alyssa Czernek '25