[Video] UNITED SIKHS Changed My Life
It can be so difficult to put into words how impactful AAHA was for us, but we wanted to show supporters how invaluable we found the experience. During finals we all wanted to talk to you, one-on-one, no filter, as we each sat in our college dorms and houses and reflected on our experiences. Check it out here.
| Click picture to view the video. |
| I am humbled to write to you today and inform you that I have recently been accepted into an internship program at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, an honor I could never have been awarded without the help and support of UNITED SIKHS. I am an intern, Advocacy and Humanitarian Aid Academy graduate, and Sikh Summit participant for UNITED SIKHS. While I complete my finals for my second year of college, I wanted to take a moment to speak to you about the amazing, life-changing opportunities provided to me by them this past summer. This past summer, the organization gave me several opportunities to build my resume. I started out as an intern for Anisha Singh, a Policy Advocate and UNITED SIKHS attorney. Working directly under Anisha in our nation’s capitol, I learned so much about the hard work that goes into advocating and defending innocent people who have been wronged. |
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| The work Anisha and the rest of the organization’s team do inspired me to pursue a similar career. I got to watch a group of people who are so enthusiastic and passionate about the work they do. Watching my supervisor work day and night, sometimes pulling all-nighters trying to make even the smallest impact on the lives of Sikh Americans was eye-opening and served as my motivation. | |
The experience and knowledge I gained during my internship was unimaginable and incomparable. Where else would I be granted the opportunity to single-handedly contact congressional offices and governmental agencies to book advocacy meetings? Where else would I plan huge Gala events dedicated to raising money for a Drug Rehabilitation Center in Panjab? I not only learned about policy and procedure, I learned the ins-and-outs of how Washington, DC works, how fundraising works, and how much can be done through the lens of passion.
As a part of my internship I was also given the opportunity to be a part of the prestigious UNITED SIKHS’ Advocacy & Humanitarian Aid Advocacy Academy (AAHA) and annual Sikh Summit. In just a week I got to hear and learn from members of Congress, DOJ, USAID, the director of NAACP Hilary Shelton, and many more. Along with meeting all these people I learned proper policy advocating and lobbying on Capitol Hill,building,and guidance for the road to law school.
These experiences with UNITED SIKHS gave me the confidence and experience necessary to believe the sky’s the limit. Now I am going to be working for the United Nations at the age of 19 and I have no one but this organization to thank for that.
I cannot speak enough about how much I feel I owe to this organization and how much I hope that YOU too will take action and get involved with them however you can. I put my full faith in the work done by this team and implore you to donate to them today. I also encourage everyone to get involved: whether it is by volunteering, interning, attending their annual summits, or applying for their academy.
Support UNITED SIKHS today so they can continue inspiring young leaders to follow their dreams.