On January 6th, 2025, all of us at SASI welcomed Dalbir Dolla (she/her) as she joined the team at the Institute as the new SASI Coordinator at UFV.
Dalbir is a local born and raised Abbotsford resident. She undertook her undergraduate studies at the University of the Fraser Valley, graduating in 2013 with a Major in Criminology and a Minor in Sociology. In that tenure she had become involved with the South Asian Studies Institute as a research assistant and student leader, and she tells us that she carries good memories from those years with her.
Dalbir continued her academic career by undertaking a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology in 2018 from the University of Saskatchewan. Her dissertation titled: “Caste and Views Toward Marriage Among Two Sikh Generations in Greater Vancouver, Canada” was received with acclaim as a very pertinent and topical area of study for South Asian Canadian Studies.
These academic and personal experiences supported her passion and interest in the South Asian Canadian Diaspora. Her desire to address community needs, challenges, contributions and successes has serendipitously led her back to SASI almost 12 years later. Dalbir hopes to actively take on the coordinator role and support the vision and values of SASI while contributing new innovative ideas for research and engagement.
Please join me in welcoming Dalbir to SASI and to UFV!
Satwinder Kaur Bains, PhD, Director