Colin Powell School
Dharamjeet Singh
1. Please tell me a little about your background.
I am from Burma and I immigrated to the United States about 7 years ago. I came here for college. I was able to get permanent residency. I went to school for a bit in California then transferred over to New York. I continued my education with CUNY at BMCC and then transferred to City College. Now I work as a legislative correspondent in the US House of Representatives.
2. What brought you to City College?
When I finished my associate’s degree and it was time to transfer, I was surprised to see that there was a school named after Colin Powell and dedicated to civics, public policy, and public service. Even though I grew up in Burma, I had heard of Colin Powell. I knew what he did and his accomplishments and the position he was serving. I remember hearing him speak on the news at night as my dad watched. I could barely understand what he was saying on the news because I was a young kid. When I discovered the Colin Powell School, I was excited that there was a whole school actually dedicated to my line of major. You know, Baruch is known for business, and Hunter is known for nursing, I think. City College though had a whole institution dedicated to my major. That was my main push.
3. Why did you choose to study what you did at City College?
I actually was a business major first. Then going forward, I started to become more interested in the American government and how the political system works day-to-day. Coming from a country like Burma which is not a democracy — it is very much under authoritarian rule — I found the system here fascinating, so I switched from business to political science.
As I got more interested in the American government, I started looking into how I can build a career in government. Some people asked me: “What are you going to do with political science? Do you really see yourself getting into government? Is it really for you? Are there people like you in government?” City College helped me overcome these barriers and doubts, and it opened doors for me and showed me how I could find career paths in government.
As an immigrant, my main goal is to help my community, the Sikh community, to get more people into government so we can help our community move forward and be represented. I think I can count on one hand the amount of people that look like me here on the hill. We are trying to get there one by one. I am thankful for being here in the United States and having the opportunity to get an education and do anything I want.
4. How has City College helped you to get where you are in your career?
The professors at City College dedicate all their time to educating people like me who come here as immigrants. They are our pillars and foundation. To be able to learn from these professors and be under their guidance is a privilege and something I looked forward to every day. Every professor I came across was extremely qualified and very dedicated to their work. It rubs off on you the amount of education they have and the level of attention they pay to you. I would say that they have been my role models.
The Colin Powell School’s DC program also helped me get here by giving me the opportunity to intern in the US Congress. I could not have done it on my own, because I did not have the funds; I couldn’t afford it. The DC program gave me a scholarship and a place to stay and allowed me this big opportunity.
I was also able to get a scholarship to study abroad for the summer in the Netherlands. I studied laws and antiquities and criminal justice in Amsterdam, which is located very close to The Hague. It was very beneficial to go see The Hague and speak to people who work in those fields, like judges that work for the International Court of Justice. Studying abroad inspired me. I never saw myself being able to take part in programs like that, and it gave me the confidence to pursue other programs in college.
5. Do you have any significant memories or accomplishments from your career or time at City College that you would like to talk about?
I could barely take part in all the benefits and festivities of student life at City College because I was working all the time. I was going to work, then school, then work. This is a reality for many, perhaps most City College students. This distinguishes us from students in private institutions: we are working students. The fact that we can make it while working is something that we should be proud of collectively.
My greatest memories are from the classroom and listening to the lectures. Some people may be surprised to hear me say this, but it was something I really enjoyed doing and was very passionate about. I was fascinated by listening to people who had accomplished so much in their careers. One of my favorite classes was a course on politics of the Middle East. We did a simulation with students playing the role of leaders of the governments in the region. It actually fascinated me. I was looking at research and reading, and it was a lot of fun. When I spoke to the professor he said “hey, if you’re really having fun with this maybe you should join politics, maybe you should work in government” and I said, “yeah that is exactly what I want.” That was when I started planning and hoping. This class lit a fire in me to go forward with this career path, and I became confident in my abilities.
6. Do you have any advice you could give to future and current students?
The advice would be to trust in the institution and the professors that are there to guide you. Trust the process. There are highs and there are lows, but you have to hold yourself up to make sure it all works. It is doable, as City College students we have a lot of challenges. There are students in City College that have more than their fair share of challenges than others. In one of my classes, we did a survey about homelessness at City College and we handed out a few pizzas to anyone who would answer our survey. Once we got the data it was astonishing the number of students who were struggling with homelessness. So I know the challenges that people go through and the troubles that come in our paths. Our institution is a way out from all these things that we are struggling with. Trust the course, be on a path, if you have a passion, pursue it.
I really want to thank all the professors who work so hard to put out great programs for the students and all the people who have given me advice and suggestions to help me out that made me ready for a career on the hill. I don’t think I can thank them more.