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UC Los Angeles (UCLA)

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College Guide

Meet our Advisors

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Simran Athwal

Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG)
Class of 2022

Samreen Dhariwal

Majors: Biology
Class of 2020

Jasmine Kaur

Major/Minor: Sociology
Class of 2020

Bhupinder Kaur

Majors: Biology
Class of 2023

Jasmeen K. Nahal

Major: Mathematics
Class of 2022

Manjinder Kaur Gill

Major: Psychobiology
Class of 2020

Amarjot Singh

Major: Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Class of 2022

Ikaasa Suri

Major: Computational & Systems Biology
Alumni

Simran Athwal

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: Fresno, CA

Orgs and ECs:
Sikh Student Association, Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative

Bio:

Hello, my name is Simran Athwal and I am a rising third year at UCLA, majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. Some of my hobbies include reading mystery or inspirational novels, playing badminton, listening to ONLY Punjabi music, and traveling even though I have only been to Canada and India.

In terms of why I wanted to be an advisor initially started to build upon itself after joining the Sikh Pre-College Network and being involved with the “behind the scene” work. I am a Sikh and a first-generation. I did have a challenge completing college applications because I had no guidance nor any mentors whom I could ask for help.

Being an advisor will give me the opportunity to aid high schoolers with their application process and answer any questions or give clarifications when needed. I hope to meet everyone soon (virtually) and hopefully, in-person.

Samreen Dhariwal

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: Los Angeles County (San Fernando Valley)

Orgs and ECs:
SSA, BPSHI, CHAMPs (children mentorship)

Bio:

Hello! I’m Samreen and I’m currently a fresh alumni from UCLA. While there I majored in Biology, but had academic interest in plant biology, marine biology, environmental sustainability and climate sciences. I participated mostly in Sikh student run organizations but also ventured into mentorships with children and medical scribing. In my free time I enjoy cooking, designing, and crafting projects. As the oldest sibling l had left lost about college, life and career paths since I didn’t have anyone older to guide me. I would like to provide that comfort in the face of uncertainty and security to someone who is in those shoes through being a mentor.

Jasmine Kaur

College Advisor @ UCLA and USC

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Orgs and ECs:
United Sikh Movement, USC SSA, Sociology Undergraduate Association President of the Resident Government Council Director of Rel. Affairs, UCLA Arts and Creative Writer for Fem NewsMagazine 2018-2019, Board Officer for the United Nations Association UCLA Dialogue Writer for Fem NewsMagazine UCLA Tie-In Education School-Site Volunteer Program **

Internships not listed but can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-gawra/

Bio:

My name is Jasmine Kaur. I’m 20 years old and recently finished my undergraduate degree with high-standing at UCLA. I graduated UCLA two years early because I was in a dual-enrollment program in high school with a local community college. I’m a LA native and absolutely love this city. I’m interests include discovering new places to eat, trying out new hobbies (currently pottery), reading, writing, and meeting new people!

While at UCLA, I worked on several projects such as inclusivity training, new policies, the first interfaith story-telling event as UCLA with the Vice-Chancellor as the opener, and taught a class on Allyship and Intergroup Dialogue so much more. I’m still working on these projects despite having graduated as faculty and UCLA staff continue to call on me for support and prepare the next class of leaders to take on the projects I started.

I realized that advocacy and allyship are aspects that I wanted to grow in. Since I finished undergrad in two years, I decided to spend the next two years obtaining my Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from USC. My goal still remains to go to law school after I do my MPP. My MPP will allow me to do risk assessments and evaluations based on the population I intend to serve (something law school doesn’t teach you). I hope to then use my JD to work in different areas: in the public defender’s office, legal defense, a nonprofit (like the ACLU), and others focused on civil liberties and rights. Ultimately, I plan to create legislation and policy that is instrumental in prison abolition.

I consider myself overall very successful–a sentiment which encompasses all my failures, too. However, I had a lot of help along the way. I went to a networking seminar and networked my way into several internships and positions throughout the years. Some of my mentors are exactly who I want to be when I group up and constantly cheer me on. I know the impact of having people on the sidelines cheering you on, especially when you think you can’t make it. I would love to help any young Sikh professionals in any way I can with their journey!

Bhupinder Kaur

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: Manteca, CA

Orgs and ECs:
BPSHI, SSA, Bruin Bhangra, Giddhe Diyan Raniya

Bio:

My name’s Bhupinder Kaur and I am a second year Biology student at UCLA. I love to do Bhangra and Giddha and am planning on pursuing a career in Optometry. Coming into college I didn’t know anyone from UCLA and had no clue what to expect which led to my first quarter being a little rough. As an advisor, I want to help incoming students be comfortable going into college so they can smoothly transition into this new world.

Jasmeen Kaur

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: Hanford, CA

Orgs and ECs:
BPSHI, SSA, GDR

Bio:

Hi, my name is Jasmeen!
I am currently a third-year at the University of California, Los Angeles. I am apart of three organizations there; which include: Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative, SSA, and Giddhe Diyan Raniyan. These organizations have changed my perspective on many things and have made me much more open-minded.

Other than these organizations I was am also apart of the UCLA symphonic band. Music has always been a hobby of mine and continuing at UCLA has been a pleasure.

I decided to be an advisor because I wish I had someone to talk to that could help me with my college journey. Having someone to go to ask for help at any time is the kind of support you can trust. Wild begins that person for someone and growing bonds with new students who are about to start their journey are something I look forward too.

Manjinder Kaur Gill

College Advisor @ UCLA and Midwestern (AZ)

Location: Lemoore, CA

Orgs and ECs:
BPSHI, SSA, AMSA, Volunteer Ronald Reagan (MyUCLA Health Ambassador), Cognitive Neuroscience Lab

Bio:

I am a recent UCLA graduate and am currently obtaining my Masters in Biomedical Sciences to further become a competitive candidate for medical school. I love painting and exploring new cities through its food and culture.

As a first generation college student, I know how hard it can be to receive proper guidance and support from personal experiences. I hope that as an advisor I am able to guide the future generation of Sikhs to reaching their career goals as well as help understand themselves and who they are.

Amarjot Singh

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: Pittsburg, CA (Bay Area) 

Orgs and ECs:

SSA (President), BPSHI (Board Member), Bruin Bhangra

Bio:

My name is Amar and I am currently entering my Junior year at UCLA. I am a pre-med student, and my main interest is working with the Sikh population, both here and in the surrounding areas, to help with community health and projects. I am the Sikh Student Association President, where I help supervise many projects such as our Seva Initiative. I am also on board for the Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative, which does health clinics at local Gurdwaras. Finally, I like to spend my spare time doing Bhangra for Bruin Bhangra, along with playing some occasional tennis.

I want to be an advisor because I feel like I have great experience with the Punjabi population at UCLA and I would love to guide the youth towards a college they are interested in. I also have been mentored for the past two years, so it is my turn to give back!

Ikaasa Suri

College Advisor @ UCLA

Location: New Jersey

Orgs and ECs:

Society of Women Engineers, Student Stroke Force (Neurology Clinical Research), Companion Care Volunteer, Student Research (Neuroscience/Physics/Biochemistry), Student Alumni Association, Sikh Student Association, Undergraduate Students Association Council (Student Government)

Bio:

I’m a recent alumna of UCLA taking a gap year before starting medial school in 2021. My passion for medicine largely intersects with my interests in technology development and public policy––especially in how I could leverage my knowledge of the fields to make healthcare more accessible. Currently, I serve as the Associate Director for Sikh Americans for Biden and would be happy to chat about all things policy-, tech-, and Los Angeles-related! I’m super excited to serve as an advisor for incoming college students and truly look forward to helping out in any way that I can!

Frequently Asked Questions

There are around 60 active Sikh students on campus.

Some Punjabi and Sikh organizations include the Sikh Student Association, BPSHI, Jakara Movement, and Bruin Bhangra.

The unweighted GPA for University of California Los Angeles is 3.89. The weighted GPA is 4.49.

You should aim for a SAT of 1460 and ACT of 33.

The most popular majors are Biology, Business Econ, Political Science, Psychology, Psychobiology and Economics.

The University of California Los Angeles is on the UC Application. Apply by November 30th for Regular Decision. The FAFSA is due March 3rd.

The application fee is $70.

Students say that the University of California Los Angeles is rigorous, competitive, and research-oriented. The community is focused, diverse, and inclusive and has the largest Punjabi population in Southern California. The campus is beautiful.

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