Seen in the photo are scholarship winners with their parents and board members at the dinner event.

New York, July 26 –– The Network of Indian Professionals-New York Chapter (NETIP-NY) awarded scholarships to South Asian high school students at their eighth annual scholarship dinner held at the Indian Consulate in New York City on July 26.

The event, attended by an intimate group of NETIP-NY members and supporters,

honored the achievements of three exceptional South Asian high school students:

Sonu Gupta, Tamzeed Zamal Sikder, and Nandini R. Banerjee. Accompanied

by their parents and guardians, the students delivered heartfelt acceptance speeches

highlighting their desire to seek higher education and help those less fortunate in their future careers. The evening ended with a special video appearance by the star of the new hit movie ‘Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle,’ Kal Penn. Penn, who says that he was also the recipient of a scholarship that helped him pursue his dream of becoming an actor, encouraged the NETIP-NY scholarship recipients to follow their dreams and never give up even if they don’t fit into the traditional South Asian definition of a professional career. This year’s scholarship event featured Indian Consul General Pramathesh Rath discussing the importance of a lifelong commitment to education. Rath commended the South-Asian community both in the United States and India for understanding the importance of education and its role in social and professional advancement.