From SikhLEAD Intern to Community Advocate

My name is Amrita Kaur Bamrah and I recently joined SALDEF as the Policy Associate and SikhLEAD Coordinator. I hope you’ll make a generous year-end contribution to SALDEF so more emerging Sikh American leaders can emulate my journey from being a SikhLEAD intern to becoming a community advocate. saldef-policy-associate-sikhlead-coordinator-amrita-kaur-bamrahEarlier this year, I graduated from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration with my Masters in Social Work. With my diploma in hand, I was unsure of where I wanted to go next. I reflected on the experiences that brought me to that very moment. I thought back to the summer after my sophomore year in college. There I was standing on the South Lawn of the White House shaking First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama’s hands. I was privileged to attend the event because SALDEF’s SikhLEAD Internship Program had placed me at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. That summer, I learned about civil rights issues and gained invaluable exposure to the inner workings of policy work in the nation’s capital. My summer as a SikhLEAD intern impacted me for years to come. When I returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I began working with student leaders to foster a strong community of Sikhs on campus. Together, we founded Langar on Campus, an event open to everyone in the Urbana-Champaign community. Each year that we held the langar, we were able to reach over 2,500 students, faculty, and local residents. AmritabamrahInspired by the event’s success, I spent a second summer in Washington D.C. working with SikhLEAD interns to organize Langar on the Hill for elected officials and Capitol staff. (The most recent iteration of that langar hosted more than 500 participants, including a dozen Members of Congress.) The langar initiatives were so successful that I eventually organized a Langar on the Quad at the University of Chicago as a graduate student. Working on these langars demonstrated the power of community organizing. My path after graduate school became clear to me. Having experienced the journey from SikhLEAD intern to staff member, I am privileged to be in a position dedicated to elevating the voices of my fellow Sikh Americans. Please make a year-end contribution to SALDEF so more young Sikh Americans can have impactful careers and contribute to their communities as SikhLEADers. Thank you.
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