Episode 26 Dr. Simi Sandhu

Dr. Simarjeet Kaur Sandhu. or Dr. Simi. as she likes to be called, recalls as a young child reading books in bookstores, libraries, and classrooms, but that the stories did not include characters that looked like her or that spoke of her cultural or religious background. A lifelong lover of reading and writing, she realized as an adult that she wanted to help young readers have a different experience and so she writes children's stories to spread awareness, particularly for those of Sikh background. As a child, Dr. Simi experienced a lot of bullying and discrimination, particularly after the 9-1 I attacks, by people confusing Sikhs for those related to the Taliban or Osama Bin Laden. In part, this drove her to her journey as an educator of young children, teaching English as a second language, so that she could help build a learning environment that is accepting of people of all backgrounds. Dr. Simi believes a good book is one where the reader can close their eyes and picture the story and relate to its characters. She wants her young readers to come away from her books learning that seemingly ordinary people, like farmers, are very important to our communities and the world by what they do for us. In her new children's picture book, Kisaan, she conveys how very important this is in India because kisaans, or farmers, help feed billions of people. Dr. Simi was inspired to write Kisaan by her two nieces, Mia and Bela. She wanted them to be able to grow up with books that reflected their background. Mia is also the co-author ofthe book, having originally written an essay aboutthe recent plight offarmers in India, particularly her great- grandfather, the main character in the story, who have been affected by new and unfair laws against the kisaans of India. Dr. Simi is a graduate of Hood College's Doctoral program, and gives credit to them for motivating her to be a leader in her community. She believes that the DOL program encourages and equips cohort members with the skills needed to become effective leaders. Dr. Simi is also the published author of We are Sikhs, What is Meditation? We Say Waheguru and What is Mool Mantra?.