It was a proud day for VTA as five bus operators marched down the streets of Downtown Santa Clara as part of the Santa Clara Parade of Champions. It is a tradition that carries, “a legacy of community and frontline heroes,” dating back to the return of U.S. troops from World War II in 1945, according to the event website. These employees were part of a float organized by the local Sikh community of San Jose. Samarpal Singh was among the group.

Samarpal immigrated to the United States with his wife and two children a little over 5 years ago.

“I am happy to be living in the United States,” said Samarpal. “There is opportunity for me and my children to succeed, and we feel safe here.” His daughter is a dental assistant and his son just entered his senior year of high school.

But while the safety of their East San Jose neighborhood may be better than his prior home in India, Samarpal also feels the stigma of living in America as a person of color, especially as someone who wears a turban.

“To many people in the United States, we look Muslim,” he explained. Sadly, 20 years after the attack on 9/11, Samarpal observes that the same racial bias which falsely associates Muslims with terrorism remains prevalent and extends to the Sikh community.

It is a perception that could not be further from the truth of what it means for people like Samarpal to be Sikh. One of his core guiding principles is a commitment to service.

The We Are Sikhs campaign explains, “the practice of sharing one’s skills, wealth or time to better the lives of others is a key pillar of Sikhism, known as Vand Chhako. At the heart of these actions is the idea of Seva, meaning ‘selfless service’—work performed for others without expecting anything in return.”

As all public transit operators know well, such dedication to service also comes with challenges.

“When working in the community, you have to deal with all kinds of people,” Samarpal explained. “Some good people, some bad people.”

Some of those “good people” made a profound impression on Samarpal.

“When I entered the U.S., I was using VTA buses to travel anywhere,” he explained. “I thought, these drivers are really good people.” Inspired by VTA’s employees’ dedication to public service, Samarpal sought a job with MV Transportation as an operator for VTA Paratransit.

That was February 2020 – on the cusp of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was working during the pandemic, transporting seniors from their home to the hospital,” he recounted. “We got scared. Nobody knew what was going to happen with the world. Folks weren’t sure who would be alive or not.”

Like so many Americans whose loved ones are frontline workers, Samarpal’s family feared for his safety. In the face of such fear and uncertainty, Samarpal turned to his cultural and religious foundations. “At that time, it was really scary, but we are Sikh. We always try to be front-liners,” he explained. “In India, we always emphasized helping people… we like to help the community, we like to help the poor.”That relentless dedication to service kept him going. From his perspective, something bad can happen to you anywhere, anytime, regardless of whether there is a pandemic. For Samarpal, the duty to serve the public good and supporting those who need it most always remained.

A year of Samarpal’s dedication to service led to a position as a bus operator trainee with VTA, and in June of 2021 he graduated with a class of fellow VTA Operators.  You may see Samarpal serving routes like the 25 between East San Jose and Valley Medical Center, the 68 from Gilroy to San Jose, or the 23 along Stevens Creek Boulevard.

A few months later, he was invited by his co-workers to join the Sikh Community Float in the Parade of Champions. Samarpal hopes that more representation of Sikh people will help reduce the cultural stigmas that remain. “Sikh people are serving in places like VTA, police… in a lot of places they are doing good.”

In sharing his story, Samarpal wished to express how grateful he is to be part of the VTA family and praised the hard work of his fellow colleagues day after day. When asked how he felt about sporting his VTA uniform at the event, he beamed with a resounding, “Yes man! I feel proud to have this badge. I have been trying to get here since 2017, and I finally made it.”