Meet the Sikh American leaders of tomorrow: These thirteen SikhLEAD interns come from across the nation and are thriving across Washington D.C.—from the White House to Capitol Hill to DC powerhouses like The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty— preparing to understand the legislative process, developing relationships with our nation’s changemakers and gaining meaningful employment experience for their futures.
In its Fourth year, SALDEF’s SikhLEAD internship program is offering our Sikh American youth the opportunity to learn how to advocate for all through:
- A leadership and advocacy training with Common Ground’s Craig Bowman
- Q & A with J.J. Singh, Economic Policy Advisor to United States Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) on the importance of securing opportunities on Capitol Hill
- Representing Sikh Americans at the Senate’s Voting Rights Amendment Act hearing (Read the testimony)
- Participating in the national commemoration of Freedom Summer (Check out the video)
- Q&A with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)
- A Reception with United States Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA), Ami Bera (D-CA), Grace Meng (D-NY) about making the most of an intern summer in D.C.
- Participating in brown bag briefings on Capitol Hill
- Celebrating Fourth of July with their class at the National Mall
- Networking with notable Sikh Americans and SikhLEAD alumni
- Hosting new and engaging events on Sikh American and domestic issues that inspire dialogue on Capitol Hill
Find out which of these interns is learning how to use a scalpel and a paintbrush, transitioning from a Sikh to a Sikh American, and a budding musician who has played at Lincoln Center. To find out more about SikhLEAD or apply, please click here.
Amrita Kaur Bamrah is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received a degree in economics and global studies. On campus Bamrah was a leader of the Interfaith acceptance movement. As an undergraduate, she was instrumental in organizing the largest langar on a university campus, with over 2,000 attendees. This fall, Bamrah will join The University of Chicago Graduate School of Social Service Administration. In the past, she has interned at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and this summer Bamrah is interning with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR). During her free time, Bamrah enjoys dancing and oil painting.
Amrita Kaur Jolly is a third year law student at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science, with a minor in conflict resolution, from the University of California, Irvine in 2011. Last year, Jolly was awarded California Western’s Diversity Scholarship for her mentorship with South Asian Law Students and for work she has done within her community. This summer Jolly is interning as a Summer Associate for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Becket Fund is a non-profit law firm that specializes in defending and protecting the religious liberties of all individuals. Jolly is also interested in public interest and immigration law. In her spare time she enjoys practicing yoga, watching movies and cooking.
Anmol Kaur grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and is currently a rising senior at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park. She is a double major in political science and history. Kaur plans to continue her academic career in law school pursuing a JD degree in immigration law. This summer Kaur is interning at an immigration law firm, Bedi & Martinez Esq. in Washington DC. Kaur has a strong interest in the law and is involved in the Justice Association and Multicultural Undergraduate Law Association at Penn State. Along with her academic activities, Kaur has also served as the President of the Pennsylvania State University Sikh Student Association, raising awareness about Sikh Americans and their identity on campus. In her spare time Kaur likes to travel with her family and listen to music.
Gurchit Singh is a senior political science major at the University of California, Berkeley, with a strong interest in social justice, healthcare, and tech policy. This summer, he is interning on Capitol Hill for U.S. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), a representative for California’s 17th District and Silicon Valley.
Singh has spent his college career working with Sikh-based community organizations such as SALDEF and the Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI). Additionally, Singh is a strong proponent of melding the social and technical sciences. He took his first computer science course, CS10, last spring, and is currently working towards becoming a Student Instructor for the course. CS10 is particularly important to him because of its emphasis on increasing the representation of women and minorities in the field of computing. After graduation, Singh plans to travel, further explore his love for art, and attend law school.
Gurwinder Singh is a rising senior at Stony Brook University, pursuing a degree in economics, and a minor in Asian American studies. He will be interning for SALDEF and SevaCall this summer. He works towards educating students on their rights in the education system and providing them with tools necessary to confront adversity. Having experienced discrimination and bullying due to his Sikh identity while growing up, Singh has a burning desire to raise awareness around and help alleviate issues surrounding bullying and discrimination. He is a co-founder of ROOP (Richmond Hill Organizing Opportunity for Punjabi Youth), which focuses on providing mentorship for students in need of academic support. Singh hopes to continue working to create change and discover the talent that has been trapped in the community. He enjoys playing the tabla, singing, and writing poetry for his blog.
Harleen Kaur is a rising senior at the University of Michigan, where she studies English with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. During the summer, she will be interning both as a Policy Intern in the SALDEF office and also in the office of U.S. Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY). At the University of Michigan, Kaur is President of the Sikh Student Association where she works to build a stronger Sikh community and more awareness of the Sikh identity on campus. Off campus, she works on similar awareness and interfaith initiatives as a volunteer advocate for The Sikh Coalition, most recently co-founding the Seva Community Garden in Detroit. Kaur spends a lot of her time writing for The Michigan Daily, as well as for blogs such as the Sikh Love Stories Project. She hopes to travel abroad after graduation, spending a few years learning about the stories and lives of others before continuing her own journey pursuing a dual graduate degree in law and public policy.
Harmann Preet Singh was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He is a rising junior at Columbia University pursuing a joint major in mathematics and economics, hoping to leverage his education to empower underprivileged and marginalized communities. He has published articles in The Huffington Post and Columbia Spectator on youth empowerment, edited a book on human rights violations in India, and spoke at various symposia across the country on issues of gender equality, minority rights, and human rights violations. At Columbia he serves on the executive boards of Columbia University Sewa and the Columbia University Orchestra. He is also an Interfaith Fellow with the Office of the University Chaplain, and a Research Assistant in the Department of Economics. In his spare time, Singh is a classical percussionist and has performed at Lincoln Center, and as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Singh will be pursuing his passion for social justice as an intern at the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs of The White House this summer—specifically working to strengthen and empower the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Harnek Singh Neelam was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit and is currently a rising senior at the University of Michigan, where he studies screen arts and cultures, and biomolecular science. He is involved in many different organizations on campus ranging from the Michigan Animation Club to Central Student Government. This summer he is interning with U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and is focusing his efforts on public health and media work. He was also accepted into the Stennis Center Program which is a competitive, bipartisan, bicameral program designed to help interns gain a better understanding on the operations of the United States Congress.
In the future, Neelam hopes to attend medical school, but also pursue his passion for film by creating documentaries and producing Hollywood-level films. The documentaries will revolve around health, both domestic and abroad, and minority rights. His health related docs will focus on highlighting common diseases like HIV, diabetes, and obesity making them less taboo to discuss and treat, leading to the eventual eradication of such conditions.
Minority rights is a close topic to Neelam, as a Sikh American. His other documentaries would focus on bringing awareness to disenfranchised minority groups and the endless work to create equal civil rights for these communities. He is currently filming a couple of short films and will complete them by the end of the summer.
Jyot “Joe” Singh is a senior at Tufts University double majoring in economics and international relations (concentration in development economics), with a minor in political science (concentration in foreign policy analysis). He is interning with the Federal Affairs and Policy Department of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, focusing on international regulatory policy. Singh is passionate about the economics of development—particularly energy—and will conclude his college education in 2015 by writing an undergraduate honors thesis examining and projecting China’s emissions portfolio by the year 2030. He is interested in building a career studying the economic evolution of China and India, particularly the environmental and social consequences. He blogs for The Huffington Post and for the Tufts Admissions Department.
Naureen Singh is a sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder studying molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Singh grew up in Colorado Springs and has been a counselor at various Sikh camps before organizing the first Sikh Youth Camp in Colorado in 2013. On campus, she is an active member of the Cultural Events Board, the largest student-run cost center in the nation—which controls more than $500,000—and aims to fill cultural voids on campus. Singh’s father is the highest-ranking turban wearing officer in the US Army and he inspired her to become a part of SALDEF’s SikhLEAD program. She is currently interning with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and hopes to gain experience in understanding ways to prevent workplace discrimination through outreach and education. Later Singh hopes to pursue a career as a forensics scientist for the FBI. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, public speaking, debating, practicing tabla and doing keertan.
Ramandeep Kaur is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a double major in political science and ethnic studies. While at Berkeley, Ramandeep was very active with the Sikh Students Association (SSA) and was even able to push for a Sikh American Studies class on the history of Sikh Americans. Kaur wrote her honors thesis on the effects of 9/11 on the Sikh American Identity, entitled, Post 9/11 Sikh American Youth Identity Formation. She worked with the Asian Pacific American Student Development office as an undergraduate on issues pertaining to the Sikh American community on campus. She is passionate about social justice, economic policy, and law. Kaur also volunteered at SALDEF this spring as an education intern while working full-time as a legal assistant. Currently she is interning for U.S. Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) in Washington, DC. She hopes to either go to law school or began working in public sector while focusing on social justice issues. During her spare time Kaur enjoys finding new hiking trails, running, and discovering new music.
Rasna Kaur Neelam is a rising senior studying art and biomolecular sciences at the University of Michigan. This summer, Neelam is interning at the Smithsonian Institution in the Asian Pacific American Center. At the University of Michigan, Neelam is very involved in campus and student life. Outside of her studies, she volunteers at the Mott Children’s Hospital, is a research assistant at the Veterans Association, and works as a tutor in the Science Learning Center. Neelam is also a part of student organizations centered on social justice and advocacy. As a pre-medical student, she hopes to combine her various passions to pursue a career in pediatrics and alternative medicine, as well as continue to stay involved with the Sikh American community.
Ravneet “Robbie” Singh grew up in Sacramento, California but is currently a rising senior at California State University, Sacramento completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Marketing with a minor in political science. Currently, he is interning on Capitol Hill for U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA). Singh’s political interests include immigration, education, civil rights and racial profiling.