P.C.S. Chicago's Sixteenth Annual
“Punjabi Youth Graduation & Scholarship Awards Night”
“Rangla Punjab 2016” Participants Honored
Awesome Keynote Speaker Dr. Vinay Kumar
Chicago: The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) www.PCSChicago.org celebrated its sixteenth annual “Punjabi Youth Graduation and Scholarships Awards Night” on Sunday, June 12, 2016, at Viceroy of India Banquets Lombard, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. More than 250 community members attended.
The program started with a moment of silence to remember the victims of the worst mass shooting in US history that happened early morning in a night club in Orlando Florida where 50 people were gunned down and another 53 injured, some critically.
Gurmit Singh Dhillon the P.C.S. President welcomed the guests at the graduation night. The function was organized, run and emceed by PCS Officials and volunteers.
Dr Vinay Kumar honored with a plaque by PCS Officials
Dr. Vinay Kumar Professor and Chairman department of Pathology, University of Chicago gave an awesome, short and sweet, Keynote address to the graduates and others in attendance who were visibly impressed. There was a pin drop silence during his speech despite the party mood.
"Four years will have a profound impact on your future so how you spend and utilize them is very important," said Dr. Vinay Kumar addressing the graduates.
"Freshman year is the most important year of your college. Don't limit yourself, broaden your horizons. Don't be in competition with someone else but yourself in becoming better every day. Keep your eyes on the prize. Remove the word impossible from your dictionary, because that is only a limitation of your imagination. I urge you to believe that nothing is impossible," said Dr. Vinay Kumar in his motivational keynote address to the new high school graduates.
(Full text of Dr. Vinay Kymar's keynote address:
Four years will have a profound impact on your future so how you spend and utilize them is very important.
I have four points to mention
- 1. The freshman year is probably the most important year of college. Surprised ? I have seen bright kids take it very easy in freshman year and they struggle to improve their GPA in year 2 and 3. The professional colleges get only grades for the first three years. With a bad freshman grade it becomes very hard to make up in two additional years. So pay attention to year one. Enjoy the freedom from home and parents but keep in mind that you are your own keeper in college
- 2.The four year college is unique to the US. Take full advantage of it. Of course you will focus on areas that you wish .... but College is both to prepare you for professional degrees and to broaden your horizons. To learn about arts society people music literature. Don't make your path too narrowly focused. Even if you know you will be a doctor take a lot of non biology courses and vice Versa.
- 3. Work hard of course but don't compete with others compete with your selves. Don't make anyone else your benchmark because then you will be only as good as them. Compete with your self. Ask...am I better today than I was 6 months back, one year back....
- 4 Remove the word impossible from your dictionary. Because impossible is only a limitation of your imagination.
When my nana jee (maternal grandfather) was a young boy he dreamed of going to an English school which was across the Indus river from his village. Despite discouragement from his parents, one day he jumped into the river and approached the school principal in wet clothes, expressing his desire to join the convent school. Seeing his determination, he was admitted . After that for four years he swam across the river and back every day to complete his schooling and then went on to Lahore and graduated in 1905. From him I learned nothing is impossible. I urge you to always believe that nothing is impossible.)
"Dr. Vinay Kumar, with his background, life experiences and accomplishments, is one of the best role models for our youth to emulate," said Rajinder Singh Mago. "His paternal grandparents were illiterate farmers in Punjab, and today Dr. Kumar is the head of a department of the School of Medicine at one of the world's most prestigious universities, University of Chicago which leads in winning Nobel Prizes," added Rajinder Singh Mago while introducing Dr. Vinay Kumar.
"I wish someone had told me all this when I went to college, I would have been better prepared," smiled and remarked Harinder Singh of Bloomingdale Illinois.
Jasleen Kaur Saini, graduate of Wheeling High School won the PCS Scholarship this year.
The scholarship and the event was sponsored by Mohina Ahluwalia in the memory of Diljit Singh Ahluwalia; by Dr. Diljeet Kaur Singh, Karamjeet Kaur Singh, Ranjeet Kaur Singh in the fond memory of their father Dr. Pritam Singh; by Dr. Surjit Singh Patheja; by Harinder Singh M.I.T.S.; Harkewal Singh Lally; Dr. Amarjit Singh for Sikh Outreach Society; Jasbir Singh Bhalla; Bikram Singh Sohi; Surinder Kumar Jain Viceroy of India Banquets.
All the Punjabi class of 2016 graduates were honored and presented with certificates of accomplishment by Dr. Amarjit Singh.
A cake cutting ceremony by the graduates was held to honor and celebrate their graduation.
Indian cuisine appetizers and sumptuous dinner was served. All the participants, young and old relished the food and danced to the bhangra DJ music as a typical Punjabi family celebration.
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| Rangla Punjab Participants awards |
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| PCS GN2016_Rangla Punjab participants enjoying party |
The participants of “Rangla Punjab 2016,” a PCS Annual Vaisakhi cultural program that took place on April 23, 2016 received their appreciation awards.
"The purpose of this program is to promote higher education among our next generation. This get together helps community building, bonding and networking. Our youth need encouragement, appreciation, mentoring and professional guidance," said Harkewal Singh Lally Chairman of PCS.
The event was spearheaded by the PCS scholarship committee Gagandeep Singh Multani, Gurmit Singh Dhillon, Pardeep Singh Deol, Kulbir Singh Bagri, Surinder Singh Sangha in cooperation with other PCS officials.
The next PCS event is Basketball Tournament at "PCS Sports Festival 2016" in July, followed by "PCS Bhangra and Gidha Competition" and "Thanksgiving Day Parade" in November.
The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago is an all volunteer, not-for-profit community service organization devoted to promoting Punjabi culture, language, performing arts, healthy life style and sports, education, and good citizenship in the metropolitan Chicago area and beyond.
For further information please:
Contact: Rajinder Singh Mago, 630-440-7730
PUNJABI CULTURAL SOCIETY of CHICAGO,
P.O. Box 1244 , Palatine , IL 60078
Ph: 847-359-5727, Fax: (206) 495-6532
E-mail to [email protected]
PCS website http://www.pcschicago.org/
Face Book: Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago