My name is Simran Singh and I am very humbled and excited to be joining and serving with the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society.

While working towards my Bachelors in Criminology, I have completed my minor in Sociology at Simon Fraser University and am currently working with Translink Canada. I have also been serving with Reconciliation Canada as a board member for the past few years. By working alongside a great team and under the spiritual wisdom of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, we hope to bring together all Canadians and Indigenous peoples to better understand and celebrate one another. During my years at Simon Fraser University, I also had the opportunity to serve as President and Vice President with the Sikh Student's Association to help foster and develop community relations both off and on campus.

My first experience with VIBC was during the initial years when I first saw the life size posters go up around the city. Imagine my reaction, walking up to a bus stop and seeing an image of two individuals dressed up in full dancing attire ready to get their Bhangra on, while walking down a busy street in Downtown Vancouver. That’s when I knew, VIBC was it for me. I spent the next several years volunteering from a runner, to a stage manager, to a performer liaison enjoying every bit of excitement, positivity, and grandeur that the city of Bhangra had to offer. So when I received the gracious chance to come back and work from a different perspective, it was just meant to be.

VIBC has provided a beacon of positivity, prosperity, and growth for the residents of our city. The Society has given Vancouver a chance for all people, from different walks of life, to connect with a culture that promotes "Chardi Kala" - Living with High Spirits. It was Jaswant Singh Khalra who once said that one of the biggest tools that humanity has to fight darkness, is light. Through VIBC, we come together and put aside our differences to celebrate all of the reasons that bind us together: the biggest reason being, that we all belong as one.

While, here during my time at VIBC, I hope to continue working with each and every one of you to continue contributing to VIBC's mission and values. To continue growing together and celebrating the many cultures that our wonderful city has to offer. Thank You.

Simran Singh