Harkiran Bhullar ’24: President’s Medal Winner
Four years of growth. That’s how Harkiran Bhullar ’24 describes her undergraduate education at DeSales.
The computer science and management double major graduated summa cum laude and credits the campus community with helping her to grow academically, personally, and professionally.
“I have changed so much from my first year to now,” Bhullar says. “I’ve learned a lot about who I am, what I like, and what I don’t like. I think my biggest lesson was how to work on failure: when you try new things, you’re not successful at everything.”
Bhullar’s positive attitude and strong work ethic were just two reasons she was chosen as this year’s President’s Medal recipient. The medal, presented during Commencement by Father James Greenfield, OSFS ’84, Ed.D., is awarded to a graduate who has attained intellectual maturity consistent with his or her talents.
While announcing the award, Terese Wignot, Ph.D., provost, described Bhullar as a “role model, ambassador of our Catholic, Salesian mission, and steward of the Bulldog tradition.”
During her time on campus, Bhullar served on a number of committees and organizations, including as executive president of the Student Government Association, where she strove to make sure all students had a voice.
“I’m an Indian woman; I wear my turban on campus. I want to make sure that people of all backgrounds have their voice, can say what they want, and that they’re heard.”
Bhullar is also the recipient of The Business Faculty Award for Excellence in Management, The Computer Science Award for Academic Excellence, and the George S. Salzmann SGA Award.
She’ll pursue her Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in cyber security at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her end goal is to get her Ph.D. and eventually work for NASA. Her academic success wouldn’t be possible, she says, without the support of her parents.
“A lot of the things that I do, I do for them. I’m a first-generation immigrant student, so this was a proud moment for my family. It is very important for me to be involved and give everything my best so I can give my parents the world they deserve, just like they gave me my world.”