“If you want to see change, you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, and make it happen.”
Simran is running for City Council in Delta in the upcoming municipal elections in October 2018.
When passion is to do greater good, it drives one’s actions—and such is the attitude Simran Walia possesses. Having a warm personality adored by many who know her, she is a fierce go-getter who shines in her professional world. A kind-hearted, mother of two boys, she strives to contribute positively and constructively to the community. She loves to talk about social issues.
Born and raised in New Delhi, the heart of India, Simran’s childhood was full of love and care. Imbibed with Sikh values and culture in the nurturing presence of her grandmother, she learned to do kirtan in the very early years of her life.
“My grandmother has always been my idol in showing me the meaning of love and care. I had working parents—a Nurse mother and an Engineer father. The foundation years of my childhood and my siblings were spent mostly with my grandmother. Her giving and loving nature are engraved in my foundation, and I will be proud of her for the rest of my life.”
She fondly recalls how her father would teach her how to fix broken plugs, change a flat tire of a car, and other mechanical work around the house. He then made her go around in the neighborhood to check if any senior needed a handyman work assistance. Once while visiting the Gurdwara, they had a flat tire. She changed the tire as taught—much to the amazement of other pupils there. She was only eleven then.
Simran today is a successful professional in the IT world. After working for the UBC, she now works for Wenco, the software arm of Hitachi. She finds her work gratifying and fulfilling. Giving back to the community is as essential to her as excelling in her career. She sits as a Commissioner on two key committees in City of Delta—Parks, Rec, and Culture Committee and Seniors Sub Advisory Committee—the voice of the community in the City Hall. Her passion for politics is driven by one principle: “If you want to see change, you have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, and make it happen.”
In 2016, she enrolled in UBC to a unique program called Summer Institute for Future Legislators. In layman’s parlance, it was a “boot camp” for future politicians! Being a mother of two young boys, she is also actively raising her voice against drug overdose problem consuming our kids at an age when innocence should be driving their personality.
“I love to work for my community, and I invite other women to recognize their potential and shine through. Let’s Synergize.”
What inspires you to do better each day?
My children are my inspiration. To make a better world for the next generations to come including this one is the reason I keep going and will keep at it.
What does success mean to you?
Success is in Synergy. Synergizing is a habit of creating co-operation, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. When we can rise above all discriminatory factors that divide humankind and make a collective effort to grow together with respect and humility, that will set a new precedent for success. I want to tap into the energy hibernating in people’s mind in shape of ideas and new solutions, a different perspective to look at situations and things which will give birth to new solutions.
To connect with Simran and synergize with new ideas, please feel free to email her at [email protected]
