I began my journey as a UFV student in the Fall of 2021, but I had not heard much about SASI until 2024 – when faced with a presentation from Dr. Satwinder Bains in my South Asian Literature class (ENGL 380) with Dr. Rajnish Dhawan. You can imagine my surprise when learning about the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive (SACDA – an initiative of SASI) in class and suddenly seeing images of my great-grandfather on the projector screen in front of me!
My own ignorance of the existence of SASI up to this point can be chalked up to my lack of involvement on and within the UFV campus. As someone born and raised in Abbotsford, I never viewed my attendance at UFV as anything other than academic. Go to class, maybe grab a snack between my classes, and go home – that was the extent of my time on campus. However, as I progressed through the years of my degree, I learned which classes I preferred, which professors I learned well from, and began making friends with those familiar faces I saw time and time again in my classes. This led me to getting more involved within the English department, and the English Students Association (ESA).
This past December in 2024, I finally bit the bullet after months of contemplation and applied for the Honours program within the English Department. The next few months consisted of ironing out project details and setting up courses alongside my amazing Honours co-supervisors, Dr. Rajnish Dhawan (Associate Professor of English) and Dr. Heather McAlpine (Associate Professor of English and English Department Head). This, of course, included the exchange of many emails, some at unusual hours. One particular Saturday morning, as I checked my phone like the morning paper, I saw an email that had been waiting in my inbox since 8:30 AM from none other than Dr. Dhawan. Except, instead of anything to do with coordinating Honours project details – it was a recommendation that I apply for a position with SASI.
“Museum Assistant at the Sikh Heritage Museum, Gur Sikh Temple, National Historic Site – funded by Young Canada Works”, the attached job posting read. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I scanned the position requirements – am I even qualified for this? What do I know about Museums? I let doubt creep in; I’ve never even thought about working in a museum before – when was the last time I even went to one? (It was actually the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, Alberta – back in 2017). Well, I’m definitely not qualified to work in the largest Dinosaur Museum in Canada, but the Sikh Heritage Museum here in Abbotsford? I’m a Sikh Punjabi Canadian born and raised in Abbotsford, I had to remind myself that my own Nanima and Nanapapa (maternal grandparents) were married right here in the Gur Sikh Temple in 1971. If I wasn’t particularly qualified for this position, then I knew that my lived experiences would carry the day. With this surge of confidence, I sent in my resume and cover letter, hoping for the best.
Fast-forward to today, I’m working away in the SASI office developing programs and event ideas, assisting with the execution and lead-up of events that were already in the works, aiding with social media content and writing, and I have even given a few tours of the National Historic Site itself. Right now, I’m looking forward to the new exhibit launch at the Sikh Heritage Museum on July 20th, titled Chandra Bodalia’s Legacy: The History and Heritage of Gurdwara’s in BC. I hope to see people I know and those that I don’t! I am learning a lot, and I know I can take all my experiences here with me into my academic studies and my future career paths.
As for what the future holds, I plan on enjoying the rest of my summer at SASI, alongside working on my independent research study for my Honours project!