In my first year of attending Richmond Hill high school I had heard many students talking about SEVA, however at the time I was not sure what SEVA was , I knew the word itself meant selfless service in punjabi. As I made new friends I eventually learned about this organization in greater detail and what it offered. I was told it was non-profit community service organization located in Richmond Hill. I knew right away this was something I wanted to be a part of, and I am so glad I did. In 2010, I joined SEVA as a volunteer and began working on the census and voter registration project. I was never part of any organization prior to joining SEVA , so this was a new experience for me. I lacked communication and leadership skills, and confidence in being able to speak to people and organizing events. With the coming years I found myself thriving in these very things.

I have always been passionate about helping others and my community , and making the difference. SEVA provided a platform in which I could do just that. As an active SEVA member I had the opportunity to educate local members of the community about the importance of census and voting, I was able to educate women about breast cancer and provide them with free mammograms. In addition, every year I have the chance to put everything we stand for in action at the annual Sikh Day Parade. When SANDY hit, SEVA members raised hundreds of dollars to purchase canned goods for the survivors, as well as start a clothing drive. Furthermore, through SEVA I have the chance to work on different campaigns such as NY Speaks Punjabi. Of course this list does not contain various other projects and events that SEVA has worked on. I also attended several meetings , including meetings about redistribution in Richmond Hill, organizing the SDP, and RH restaurant week. Seva also introduced me to people within the community such as the local desi police men, congressmen, lawyers, and other organizers.

On a personal note , I have grown so much as a member of SEVA. I now have the confidence to lead my own projects, put events together and anything else I set my mind to. I am ever so grateful to SEVA because it did much more than provide me with a multitude of events and project to work on but it also helped me in my own personal life. Through SEVA I got to meet and see amazing people such as Kiran Bedi and Malala Yousafzai. I developed the confidence to speak to other organizations and work side by side with them. I learned how to create and maintain databases, and all the outreach and speaking to the public boosted my confidence while doing presentations in college. Joining SEVA was the easiest thing but I also learned all the hard work it takes to make an event be possible. Through SEVA I have made many new friends , and frankly they have become my second family. I gained two mentors Gurpal and Sharon who always taught us to work hard and never forget why we do what we do. I am currently a Hunter College student working towards becoming a child psychologist.