About the SSA Coordination Program
Sikh Student Associations (SSAs) are at the heart of fostering Sikh identity, leadership, and community on college campuses nationwide.
Yet, many struggle due to leadership turnover, lack of resources, and limited institutional support. Without guidance, SSAs often fade away within a few years... leaving Sikhs without a safe space to connect, learn, and grow with their Sangat.
10+ years ago, USM noticed the need and launched the SSA Coordination Program. SSAs can not only survive, but THRIVE.
Through this program, we have provided...
- Invaluable connections to large Sikh organizations and associations like United Sikhs, Basics of Sikhi, and Sikh Expo.
- Monthly calls with SSA Presidents to share challenges, exchange ideas, and receive direct support from Coordinators.
- SSA Starter Manuals for students interested in starting an SSA at their university.
- Event and budgeting templates to lessen the workload with event planning for SSA board members.
- Sikhi Awareness Materials including pamphlets, videos, and presentations to help SSAs educate their campus communities about Sikhi.
- SSA Leadership Retreats for SSAs board members to socialize and learn about leadership outside of the school evironment.
- and MORE!
In 2024, we reached new regions - the East Coast, Midwest, and the South - in adding the SSAs at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Purdue University, and Texas Tech University to our Active SSA Network.
The Backbone of SSA Success: Our Dedicated Coordinators
We recruit SSA Coordinators every academic year to provide direct guidance and resources to SSAs nationwide. SSA Coordinators have vast experience either starting an SSA from scratch or serving on their respective SSA Board in a core position, so they have a wide-range of knowledge to pass down to the next generation of Sikh leaders. They specialize in...
- Relationship building
- Operational efficiency with event planning
- Creating value and adapting to the needs of SSAs
- Succession planning and recruitment for SSA Boards
- Facilitating Inter-SSA collaboration
- Building alumni networks
- Securing university funding
Our SSA Coordinators for the 2024 - 2025 academic year are:
- NorCal Coordinator: Harkamal Singh, UCD 2024, Graduate
- NorCal Coordinator: Hasmeet Kaur, SJSU, Student
- SoCal Coordinator: Varleen Kaur, UC Irvine, Student
- SoCal Coordinator: Khushmeen Kaur, Cal Poly Pomona, Student
- East Coast / NY and NJ Coordinator: Abhirup Singh, Cardozo H.S., Student
- East Coast / NY and NJ Coordinator: Gurbir Parmar, NYU, Student
(Left to Right) Harkamal, Varleen, and Khushmeen pictured below.
Your Role in This
To recognize the dedication and hard work of our SSA Coordinators, we are making this a paid role by providing a $1,000 stipend per academic year. These young leaders dedicate their time to mentoring Sikh student leaders, strengthening campus communities, and ensuring SSAs thrive—and it's essential that we support those who are making a difference.
If we want Sikh youth to step up as leaders and build lasting impact, we must invest in them, because how else can we expect generations to learn from each other and grow?