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It was a moment of pride when Sarabjit Kaur Cheema was sworn in as a member of the New Haven Unified School District Board in California, on November 7.
One of two newly elected members and the first Indian American elected to the board, she has a four-year term ahead.
Cheema received 6,060 (24.65 per cent) of the votes in the November 2 election. She won the election this time after failed attempts in 2006 and 2008.
Cheema has a master's degree in mathematics, and bachelor's degrees in education, physics and chemistry. She works as a transportation engineer for the state, and, among other things, has delivered mail for the US postal service, and taught at the San Francisco State University, Chabot College and at Oakland schools.
She said her education in India helped her find her place in the school system, but feels the US educational system helps ensure better analytical skills and practical knowledge.
She was vice president of the board at the Sikh gurdwara in Fremont and currently serves on the Union City Human Relations Commission.
"I am excited, very excited," Cheema told rediff.com. "I am glad the community supported me."
"We have to have a good team," said Cheema, who plans to address the high dropout rate in the school district through intervention programmes.
Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, Cheema moved to the Bay Area in 1991 with her husband Pritam. They have three children.