Charnjit Singh might have been the first Sikh graduate student at UIUC. He prepared for this endeavor by studying at Khalsa Collegiate High School in Punjab, the University of Punjab, as well as the University of California, before finally arriving at Illinois, where he studied Electrical Engineering.

Following his graduation, Charnjit Singh served as a Granthi at the Stockton City Gurudwara in California. He later returned to the University of Illinois to complete his graduate degree in Physics, where he was also a member of Cosmopolitan Club.

Alamjit Dhaliwal Singh may have been the first Chemistry graduate. During is time at UIUC, Alamjit worked as a Special Research Assistant in the Chemistry department, for approximately six months. By February 1936, Alamjit was working as a Chemical Engineering Special Research Assistant at the Engineering Experiment Station. Alamji also became a member of the national Chemistry honor society, Phi Lambda Upsilon.

While working for the Chemical Engineering at Illinois, alongside Professor Henry F. Johnstone, Alamjit filed a patent “covering an improvement in Recovery of Sulfur Dioxide from Ammonia Solutions”, and future patent applications soon followed too. In 1938, the City of Chicago invited Alamjit to work full-time on an air pollution study conducted by the Works Progress Administration and publish his findings.

Ranbir Singh worked as a research assistant in Agricultural Economics before returning to India where he served as the Assistant Secretary of the Patiala State Finance Department in 1937.

While on campus however, Ranbir served as a committee member for the 1929 Y.M.C.A. “Stay-Over” party for students who did not leave town during the winter break. He was later initiated into Phi Kappa Epsilon in 1932.

Ranbir was also a frequent contributor to the Daily Illini, with one interview in 1930, commenting on British rule in India. He also wrote an editorial correcting another writer’s views on Gandhi and socialism in India, and also published a poem too. Ranbir was also a campus and community speaker too, giving at least two talks including a Y.M.C.A. talk, and a W.I.L.L. talk, titled “The place of the Farmers in the Reconstruction of India".

Bhagat Singh published at least one article in The Technograph, titled “India is Using Modern Methods in Developing the Water Power of the Punjab” in 1933.

Bhagat was also active in student life, including membership in the multicultural student organization, Cosmopolitan Club, as well as the honorary science fraternity Sigma Xi. He also served as the president of the League for World Friendship.

Lastly, Bhagat was a prolific speaker, such as in 1937, when he gave a speech titled “A New Constitution for India", for the International Relations Club. He later also gave a talk on an overview of the Hindi language for the McKinley Life Guidance Group.

Kulbir Singh was an intramural tennis player and frequent speaker. Some of his topics included the partition of India, for the local Kiwanis chapter, as well as various Indian customs,  for the Blackford Community Club of Gibson City, Illinois, and American customs for the Champaign Women’s Club.

Kulbir was also a reader of the Daily Illini, where he often wrote letters defending his fellow Indian students against misrepresentation. He also wrote about the importance of U.S. supporting antiracist initiatives in the United Nations, as well as the impact of the death of Mohandas Gandhi on Indians.

Gurnam Singh Gujral served as the vice-president of the Association of Students from Pakistan and India during academic year 1947-1948.

He was also a public speaker, giving speeches on the influence of religions and cultures in India.

Amritdhari Singh became the first international student to achieve an MA in Labor and Industrial Relations.

Jasjit Singh established the first Sikh Students Association in the state of Illinois. He would later go on to become the Executive Director at the Sikh Americans Legal Defense Fund (SALDEF). During this time, the SikhLEAD program was begun to further promote Sikh leadership in local and upper government.

Amrita Bamrah (right) and Simran Sandhu (left) organized the first campus Langar in 2013 in response to the horrific shooting at the Oak Creek Gurudwara in Wisconsin. Together, they managed to feed over 2,500 people across various faiths.

The SSA Langar has become an annual event and the Association now holds multiple successful events year round. After the success of Langar on campus, Amrita planned a Langar on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress and other DC leaders.