'There is a light within Raji that she shares with our entire community through her kindness'- CSUB President

NEW YORK: Indian-origin Sikh community leader and Kern County businesswoman Raji Brar has been appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees, a powerful leadership position in America's largest system of public higher education. California State University (CSU) Bakersfield double alumna will welcome Brar to a reunion in Long Beach in May. 

Brar said in a statement that CSU is special because your professors know you. They help oyou and mentor you at a level you might not get at UC. Many people who end up going to CSU need a mentor, and I had the opportunity to get one at CSUB. Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Countryside Corporation since 2003, has also held several leadership positions in Karn County and is co-founder of the Bakersfield Sikh Women's Association.

Notably, she holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in health care from CSUB. She is a member of the CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame. Brar is the oldest child of Sikhs from Punjab who came to the US with nothing in the mid-1970s and first raised their children in Central Valley farm labor camps. According to Brar, her mother has studied only up to the fifth standard and cannot read or write.

She said, "My mother used to work in the fields and at Burger King. She always told me that you have to study. It is your life partner, it will never leave you and no one can take it away from you. I enrolled at CSUB because it was close to home, cheap and accessible."

CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny said, "There is a light within Raji that she shares with our entire community through her kindness and tireless commitment to public service. She will bring a unique perspective to the Board of Trustees, and this Valley that we love will be well-represented through her voice. This is a proud moment for the Roadrunner family and our region."

Brar is the third person affiliated with CSUB to serve on the Board of Trustees, following terms by student Krystal Raynes and alumnus John Nilon.