After some years of studying and investigating spiritual paths, in response to a continuous undefined sense of calling, Shamelle attended a talk with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington D.C. in 2009, where she landed rather close in proximity to him in the audience. Impacted greatly by His Holiness's presence and teaching, she formally became Buddhist soon thereafter when she attended an event with Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche of the Kagyu Lineage where he offered the refuge ceremony in Miami, Florida. Since that time, she met and received teachings and transmissions from various venerable lamas in all four major schools in the Tibetan tradition, especially including His Holiness Katog Getse Rinpoche and the Very Venerable Khentrul Lodrö T'hayé Rinpoche of the Katog Nyingma Lineage, whom she has studied closely with ever since.

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     In 2015, Shamelle entered a strict traditional three-year three-month retreat at Katog Rit'hrod (USA) under the direction of Khentrul Rinpoche, which she completed in 2018. Since that time, she was asked by her teachers to serve as editor of some previously untranslated Buddhist philosophical and historical texts, working on these multi-year-long projects alongside scholar lamas and translators who are intending to bring the precious teachings from Tibetan to English. She has also helped translate some smaller texts from English into Spanish.

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     Shamelle is the Druponma or Practice Assistant, for the third three-year three-month retreat that is currently underway at Katog Rit'hrod, and the Coordinator for Katog Tingzin Ling in Miami, the Florida branch of Khentrul Rinpoche's centers. She also serves as the Social Media Coordinator for Katog Choling and Khentrul Rinpoche, and runs a personal Instagram account with several followers under the handle @PemaLotus, where she shares authentic dharma-based content.

 

On occasion, she leads workshops, retreats, dharma mentorship-exchanges, and does more retreats of varying lengths on her own.