Sapreet Kaur facts for kids
Sapreet Kaur Saluja, often known as Sapreet Kaur, was born on May 7, 1976. She is an American who works to protect people's rights. From 2009 to 2017, she was the main leader, called the executive director, of the Sikh Coalition in the United States. In January 2013, she made history by becoming the first Sikh person to speak at a special prayer service for a President's inauguration in Washington D.C..
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Sapreet Kaur's Early Life
Sapreet Kaur grew up in central New Jersey. Her parents moved there from Punjab, a region in India, in the 1960s. As a child, she went to a school called Khalsa School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, which focused on Sikh teachings. She also spent her summers at Camp Chardi Kala. In 1998, she finished her studies at New York University's Stern School of Business. She earned degrees in marketing and international business.
How Sapreet Kaur Started Her Career
After college, Sapreet Kaur joined the United States Peace Corps. From 1998 to 2001, she volunteered in Kenya and Uganda. There, she helped create local programs. These programs focused on protecting nature, solving disagreements, and building strong organizations.
Later, she worked in leadership roles at companies like Coach, Inc. and at Teach for America. At Teach for America, she helped create plans to find and develop leaders. This work aimed to fix unfairness in education.
Leading the Sikh Coalition
In 2007, Sapreet Kaur joined the board of directors for the Sikh Coalition. This group works to protect the civil rights of Sikhs. In 2009, she was chosen to be the executive director. This made her the first woman to lead a Sikh civil rights group in the United States.
From 2014 onwards, she also served as an international commissioner for the National Board of Directors. Sapreet Kaur has said that her goal was to use all the group's efforts and volunteers to "defend the rights of Sikhs to fearlessly practice our faith."
Other Important Roles
Sapreet Kaur has also served on the board of other important organizations. From 2008 to 2014, she was a board member for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation.
Sapreet Kaur has a son named Zorawar Singh, who was born in 2010.
