SPONSORS CORNER: Award sponsors V.J. Singh and Simi Singh (first and second from left) with Varun Mandi and Tejal Gala who received the Science trophy at the April 2016 function. Mr Inder Singh is on the right

Generally, scholarships are given to students who need financial help. What made you choose academic excellence as a major criterion?

First-generation Indian parents with high levels of educational attainment saw the value in educating their children. They knew that academic success was a ticket for a professional degree and a good job. They had the immigrant’s hunger for success and emphasized the importance of academic achievement to their children. They encouraged their children to follow their footsteps, do hard work in school and get top grades, which could ensure admission in a good college or university.

Most of us had come at that time for higher education and had experienced that good education produced a great return on investment of time and money. So one of the major objectives of the Foundation was to recognize and reward hard work and excellence among Indian American high school graduates. Academic excellence, therefore, was chosen as a major criterion for the awards.

What has been the source of funding over the past 30 years?

I met with Professor Frank Chookolingo who had donated substantial amount of money to the University of Southern California for the promotion of Indian culture. He was a PIO from Trinidad, yet agreed to give seed money of $5000 for recognizing brilliant and the brightest among Indian students graduating from high school.