Harleen Kaur

Associate in Arts

Harleen Kaur was born in Seattle, Washington and moved to the Yakima Valley with her family when she was in the 8^th grade. She attended La Salle High School for two years before transferring to East Valley High School so she could take advantage of YVC’s Running Start program. Running Start provides students like Harleen the opportunity to complete college-level credits without the cost of tuition. Juniors and seniors can continue to attend high school while also taking courses at YVC.

“My cousin was part of the Running Start program in the Seattle area,” stated Kaur. “I became interested in attending the program for myself after having two years of the traditional  high school experience. The Running Start program has allowed me to go into the world and meet new people. I highly recommend it to other students who want to get a head start,” she continued.

Kaur’s introduction to higher education came with a few key revelations. “After beginning at YVC I realized that I didn’t really know how to study. I was not sure what to cover or how far in advance that I needed to begin. At YVC I had the ability to take different courses than what was offered at my high school, and was able to change classes each quarter. This allowed me to explore the subjects I liked and find out what worked best for me. YVC has prepared me transfer to a university and be successful,” she continued.

On campus, Kaur worked in the Speech Lab helping other students prepare assignments and overcome their fear of public speaking. She cherishes the personal connections this role brought her. She has also been an advocate for promoting students’ voices on campus. This interest led her to produce a video highlighting the diversity at Yakima Valley College. You can check out her work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSanL3R0bvk.

Off campus, she is involved in the Sikh Temple. She also is active in a fitness group for other young women where she helps support them to reach their fitness goals.

Harleen graduates this June with an associate in arts degree from YVC and her high school diploma. In the fall she will transfer to Central Washington University to pursue a degree in administrative management with a minor in organizational communication. She hopes to return to the Seattle area and work for a large company such as Boeing or Microsoft.