Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 32 - The Indian EYE 091126
P. 32

    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                           SEPTEMBER 11, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 32

            about  finding  purpose  through  ser-
            vice and bringing people together. “I
            had an epiphany early on: if I have to
            work hard, I want my work to count.
            A lot of my work centers on bringing
            people into the room to talk, bridge
            divides, and continue seeing each
            other’s humanity.”
                Dr. Rathna Kumar, Founder
            of the Anjali Center for Perform-
            ing Arts and Artistic Director of
            Samskriti,  spoke  about  persever-
            ance, joy and the legacy of mentor-
            ship. “I have learned to make every
            experience in life joyful. What I want
            to leave behind is a legacy beyond
            dance, instilling enduring values, dis-
            cipline, and resilience in generations
            of students.”
                Dr. Kavya K. Manyapu, space
            scientist and elected Vice-Chair of
            the International Astronautical Fed-
            eration’s  Human  Spaceflight  Com-
            mittee, reflected on fear, possibility
            and encouraging the next generation
            to reach beyond perceived limita-
            tions. “Behind every line on a resume
            is turning fear into focus and anxiety
            into excitement. I hope we show the    From left to right: Dr. Roopa Gir, Rufi Natrajan, Jagruti Sarkar, Ruchi Gupta, Pooja Lodhia, Vaishali Dev, Dr. Rathna Kumar, Nora Angel, Paula
            next generation that possibilities are
            limitless, because a human is not a             Mcann Harris, Kavya Manyupu, Jagat Kamdar, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Seher Alpasian, and Nazli Cizmeci
            resource, a human is a possibility.”
                The evening also received recog-
            nition from local and federal officials.
            U.S. Congressman Al Green deliv-
            ered  remarks  and  presented  Con-
            gressional recognition to IAPAC and
            the honorees, with IAPAC President
            Naveen Kochoth accepting on behalf
            of the organization and its Board.
            IAPAC’s work in civic education, en-
            gagement and leadership was also rec-
            ognized with a proclamation from the
            Office  of  Harris  County  Judge  Lina
            Hidalgo,  presented  by  Community
            Engagement Specialist Hina Kadri.
                The Office of Harris County Pre-
            cinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones
            presented certificates of recognition
            honoring the evening’s awardees,
            speakers and IAPAC leadership for
            their contributions to the event and
            the community. Among the  public   From right to left: Congressman Al Green, IAPAC board members Ruchi Gupta, Naveen Kochoth, Dr. Roopa Gir, Randhir Sahni, Jagat Kamdar,
            officials  attending  were  Dr.  Leti-
            tia Plummer, former Houston City                                  Indrani Sirkar, Jagruti Sarkar, Dr. Purusottam Sahoo.
            Council Member; Fort Bend Coun-
            ty Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy;   logue Institute Houston and UNA-  October 25, 2026.                whose journeys they had come to
            Stafford Mayor Ken Mathew; Judge   USA Houston Chapter. Guests also     The women’s candid and deeply   know beyond their accomplishments.
            Surendran K. Pattel of the 240th Ju-  enjoyed an Indo-Chinese dinner by   personal stories captivated the au-  The Indian American Public
            dicial District Court; and Chief Lar-  Biryani Pot, specialty tea by Trishna   dience—at  times  moving,  at  times   Affairs Council (IAPAC) is a 501(c)
            ry J. Satterwhite, Director of Public   Tea, and hot masala chai provided by   inspiring,  and  often  filled  with  hu-  (3)  nonpartisan  nonprofit  organi-
            Safety and  Homeland  Security  for   Sabiya Nizar, adding to the warmth   mor, with Dr. Rathna Kumar’s sto-  zation dedicated to civic education
            the City of Houston.              and hospitality of the evening.   ries drawing laughter throughout the   and engagement. Through dialogue,
                The event was supported by        In  her  closing  remarks,  Jagruti   room. The evening celebrated not   partnerships and initiatives includ-
            Leadership Champions Blume, the   Sarkar thanked the honorees, speak-  only achievement, but the courage,   ing  WE@IAPAC,  IAPAC  works  to
            Rupani family, and Leela and Nat   ers, sponsors, partners, volunteers   perseverance and humanity behind   educate, engage and empower com-
            Murthy; and community partners    and guests, and invited the commu-  it, leaving many in the audience in-  munities and encourage greater civic
            Raindrop Foundation, The Dia-     nity to IAPAC’s upcoming Gala on   spired by the extraordinary women   participation and leadership.

                                                                   www.TheIndianEYE.com

| 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 |