Ngawang Yangdrol is one of many Tibetan nuns who were unable to gain admission to a nunnery following the 1987 demonstrations in Tibet. Although she was never formally rejected, she was repeatedly told to wait, and her name remained on an official waiting list from 1987 onward, effectively preventing her from pursuing monastic life.

In October 1991, frustrated by years of inaction, Ngawang Yangdrol staged a solo demonstration in front of the Tsuglakhang (the Central Cathedral) in Lhasa. She was immediately arrested and subjected to harsh interrogation and physical brutality. After a short period of detention, her family managed to secure her release.

In 1993, Ngawang Yangdrol escaped to India, where she was able to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama, join a nunnery, and share her experiences with the outside world, helping to shed light on the repression faced by Tibetan nuns inside Tibet.