Four IB students at Imagine International Academy of North Texas were each awarded the Presidential Volunteer Gold Medal Service Award
IB students Keemya Razmgir, Ainsley Burkes, Kush Kaur and Sahib Kaur were honored for their work with Afghan refugees in the USA. Each awardee received a personalized certificate, an official medallion and a congratulatory letter from President Biden and The White House.
The students volunteered for 625 hours working with local refugees, providing technology classes and career guidance, collecting donations and delivering them by hand and organizing school meetings and technology drives.
Sahib Kaur, currently studying the DP programme, began volunteering after noticing an issue within her local community. She recognized that many Afghan refugees were struggling because they had low information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills. Sahib founded the non-profit organization, Sustaining and Replenishing Better Access to Technology (SARBAT), which offers free digital literacy classes. After being granted USD 10,000 by the MYP Student Innovators’ Grant—a collaboration between the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Ashoka Foundation—Sahib was able to champion digital literacy efforts and improve refugees’ ICT skills.
“The President’s Volunteer Service Award seeks to recognize American citizens actively working to serve their communities. For my work with SARBAT to bridge the digital divide, I am honored to have received the President’s Volunteer Service Award presented by the White House. Receiving this award taught me that service can truly impact the lives and well-being of others. I strive to continue my work with SARBAT in the future to expand its impact to the international level,” said Sahib Kaur
The Presidential Volunteer Award recognizes outstanding volunteers and the critical role volunteers play in America’s strength and national identity. It honors individuals whose service has positively impacted their community and inspired those around them to take action.
