New York: Indian-origin Sikh community leader and Kern County businesswoman Raji Brar has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees, a powerful leadership position in America’s largest system of public higher education. The California State University (CSU), Bakersfield double alumna, will welcome Brar to a meeting in Long Beach in May. Brar said in a statement that CSU is special because your professors know you.
They help open doors for you and mentor you on a level that you might not get at UC. Many people who end up at CSU need a mentor, and I was fortunate enough to find one at CSUB. The owner and chief operating officer of Countryside Corporation since 2003, Brar also holds several leadership positions in Kern County and is a co-founder of the Bakersfield Sikh Women’s Association.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in health care from CSUB. She is a member of the CSUV Alumni Hall of Fame. Brar, who immigrated to the US in the mid-1970s, raised her children in farm labor camps in the Central Valley. According to Brar, his mother studied only till the fifth grade and cannot read or write.
He told that my mother worked in the fields and in Burger King. She used to tell me all the time that you have to get an education. This is your life partner, it will never leave you and no one can take it from you. Brar took admission in CSUB as it was close to home, cheap and accessible. There is a light inside Raji that she shares with our entire community through her kindness and tireless commitment to public service,” said Lynette Zelejny, president of CSUB.
She will bring a unique perspective to the Board of Trustees, and the Valley we love will be well represented through her voice. It’s a proud moment for the Roadrunner family and our region. Brar is the third person affiliated with CSUB to serve on the board of trustees, following student Crystal Raines and alumnus John Nealon.
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