Harvard Senior Parvinder Singh Thiara wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship

December 9th, 2006 by admin

BOSTON –Harvard senior Parvinder Thiara’s life was reshaped when his beloved grandfather died of infectious diarrhea from drinking tainted water in India while Thiara prepared to begin his second year in college.

“Then I found that 2.2 million people — 1.8 million of them are children — die each year from infectious waterborne diseases,” Thiara said.

Thiara’s work to improve and protect the world’s water supplies — and prevent death’s like his grandfather’s — helped him become one of the six Harvard students selected among the 32 men and woman across the United States to be this year’s Rhodes Scholars.

Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other attributes.

A chemistry major at Harvard, Thiara, of Rochelle, Ill., is the co-founder of an organization dedicated to improving water sanitation technologies, particularly in impoverished areas of the world.

“We’re trying to develop natural products that can be grown and easily processed,” he said about the emerging water sanitation technology. “We’re just trying to develop the means to make it effective on a rural, local scale.”

Thiara, 21, plans to study theoretical chemistry and water science policy and management at Oxford University in England next fall.


Source: Associated Press -

By David Weber, Associated Press Writer | November 19, 2006

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Related:

Shyrone Kaur Singh interviewed Parvinder Singh Thiara for a Sikhpoint.com project in 2003. Here is the transcript, courtesy the SikhStudent e-mail group:

INTRODUCTION:

Seventeen year old Parvinder Singh Thiara, of Rochelle Township, Illinois, is indeed an “All American Kid” and a role model for the youth as he has excelled both scholastically and in sports. Among his many academic accomplishments, Parvinder aced the American College Test (ACT) college entrance exam last October with a perfect score of 36.

Each year about 2 million students take the ACT, of which only 58 students nationwide scored perfectly last year. Interestingly Illinois is one of the top states with the most perfect scores. The first ACT was administered in 1959 and the likelihood of making a perfect score is one in ten thousand! The test takes
three hours and consists of 215 multiple-choice questions covering subjects in English, math, reading and science.

However Parvinder, a straight A student, doesn’t consider his perfect ACT score as his best academic achievement. That victory goes to his excellent performance in the state math competition. For these accomplishments, and countless others, Thiara was named ‘Student of the Year’ in the 18th annual Chicago Tribune Illinois High School All-State Academic Team competition. He also received a $2,000 scholarship from the Chicago Tribune Foundation. Additionally Parvinder is a recipient of the National Honor Society Scholarship for 2003.

Needless to say that Parvinder Thiara received dozens of college offers. He however had narrowed the field down to Harvard, Brown and Northwestern universities — Harvard won! He aspires to become a doctor like his father, Dr. Surjit Singh Thiara, a family general practitioner with a specialty in
orthopedics.

Parvinder’s parents, Surjit and Sonia, have always been very supportive and encouraging to their son and two daughters. His mother was a stay-at-home mom during his youth.

Parvinder has also excelled in sports. He enjoys golf, weight lifting and football. He is also musically inclined — he plays the saxophone and was in the school band.

He was also very active with student government and also does volunteer work. He is indeed an over achiever and a perfectionist. He has a very strong work ethic and he never gives up, and overcomes any challenges that lay in his way.

Growing up in a western Illinois farming community, Parvinder Thiara said he endured the stares and jeers of grade school classmates due to his Sikh image. But nonetheless, he poured his energies into academics and became the best that he can be.

Parvinder Singh Thiara is looking forward to a summer of relaxing with his family, studying and playing golf before going off to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard later this autumn.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

1. Who are your role models and why?

To tell you the truth, I have never really had any role models other than my mother. I have always wanted to be the best Parvinder Thiara that I could. I look up to my mother because she is a great example for what a mother should be. She always puts us first, no matter how adverse conditions she may face and has shown me what it means to really love someone.

2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the Sikh youth in
the 21st century?

I think the biggest challenge for the Sikh youth in the 21st century is being able to balance life by continuing the traditions of their culture and upholding the beliefs of their religions, but at the same time being able to live their lives as normal American teenagers. Once, they can find that healthy balance,
though, their lives will be much easier.

3. How did you proactively address bullying in school? What advice would
you give to the Sikh youth regarding this issue?

Personally, I didn’t have it too bad because I never wanted to change who I am. My advice to the youth is to think long and hard about who you are, what you want to be, and what you believe in. Whatever you see yourself as, don’t change it. If you change who you are because you want others to like you, you will only lose respect from everyone, especially those that matter most to you. If you stick to your guns and be yourself, people will accept you for who you are and you will gain respect from everyone.

4. What kind of emotional support did you receive from your family and the
community which helped you to overcome adversity?

My family has always been extremely supportive of me in all my endeavors. My mother has been my pillar of strength my entire life and I am deeply indebted to her. I feel that one of the best things that my parents did for me was have open-hearted discussion over any adverse conditions I have faced. Although my parents were firmly against me cutting my hair, I was always given the option to cut my hair if my heart really wanted to, but never considered that a viable option because I was always taught to accept who I was. I believe that many times, children want to cut there hair because they know that it is forbidden.
The fact that it is forbidden makes it seem like it is too easy of a solution, when in reality it is no solution at all.

5. What do you think will be your greatest challenge in university?

I think the greatest challenge I will face will be acclimating myself to an entirely new surrounding and atmosphere and living by myself at the same time.

6. Many youth today feel that they have to portray a “double identity” in
order to survive in both their traditional culture and the mainstream American
culture. How do you deal with this dilemma?

I don’t see it as a dilemma really. I am proud to be an American, and I proud to be a Punjabi Sikh. I have always made it a point to educate my peers and community about my culture and religions. For example, I talk to World Geography classes every year about my culture and religion. At the same time, I live a
fairly normal American teenage life. I find that if you balance it right, and acknowledge both facets of yourself, it isn’t that hard. These two different aspects of my identity only add depth and character to who I am.

7. What advice can you give to the Sikh youth of today?

My advice is to be who you are. If you stick to what you believe in, whatever that may be, and don’t change yourself you won’t have any regrets. Other than that, just work hard and have fun with whatever you are doing. Keep a positive outlook on life and you will succeed.

8. How do you deal with peer pressure from other youth?

I have always been one who has had a firm resolve, especially when it comes to my values. It has always been easy for me to say no to anything that I did not want to do because of that resolve. At the same time, my friends have never been the type to incessantly pressure others. I have always chosen to associate with those that share similar beliefs as far as what is right and what is wrong. I do have many friends who choose to bend the rules, but they know what my feelings are and because of that, they don’t pressure me to do anything that I don’t want to anymore.

9. What was it like being the only son? Please tell us about your family.

My family has been great for me. I have always been able to lean on them when I needed it and they have been a huge source of encouragement for me. As far as being the only son, I never really noticed. My sisters and I are all treated equally. Both my sisters, Jessie and Diana, are great and I wouldn’t have asked
for anything to be different.

10. What aspires you to be a perfectionist and drives you to be so successful?

My drive has always come from within. I have always been extremely competitive and have come to the realization that hard work is the key to success. I realize that I have no control over luck or chance, how much talent I have, or how good the competition is. What I can control is how hard I work. As long as no one outworks me, even if I still lose, I am satisfied.

11. What are your plans for the future?

I will be attending Harvard College this fall. As for what exactly I would like to be when I grow up, I am not entirely sure. Right now, I hope to attain both and MBA and an MD and see what I can do with that.

Suggestions for Parents

Give your children every single opportunity that you can whether it is driving them to sports practices, helping them with their homework, or letting them go to their prom. Kids have the uncanny ability to succeed when given the opportunity to. Be role models as well. Your kids will follow in your footsteps.

Suggestions for Teenagers

Believe in Waheguru. Be yourself and work hard. Find a good group of true friends, but never forget that blood is thicker than water. Have fun, but make sure you won’t regret anything that you do later. Plan for the future, but trust me when I say it seems like high school has gone very fast when you graduate so
cherish every day.

Suggestions for the Kids

Find out what you love to do and pour your energies into it. Work hard and be yourself and you give yourself a great shot at success.

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