Years of deep source building yields an unmatched all-formats portrait of an American Buddhist lama’s Himalayan journey

Religion reporter Luis Andres Henao turned years of patient source cultivation and trust-building into an exclusive, world-class coming-of-age story tracking a Minnesota-raised teenager fulfilling his destiny as a reincarnated Buddhist lama. Having followed Jalue Dorje since his childhood playing football and listening to rap in a Minneapolis suburb, Henao was granted unprecedented access to document his transition into monastic life at an 18th birthday milestone and his subsequent studies in the Himalayan foothills.

Collaborating seamlessly across continents, Henao teamed up with Kathmandu-based photographer Niranjan Shrestha and videographer Upendra Mansingh to shadow Dorje through high-stakes sacred rituals and a grueling jeep pilgrimage over mountainous dirt roads to the ancient Maratika Caves. Supported by the rigorous editing of David Crary, Holly Meyer and Ted Anthony, the all-formats package achieved massive global reach. It was republished by hundreds of international news organizations across print, digital and social platforms.