When Babu Brar arrived in the Fredericksburg area in 1995 from his native Punjab, India he had $200 in his pocket and no place to live.
For three years, the Sikh electrical engineer and Indian army veteran worked three jobs, seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, going back and forth from a 7-Eleven to a gas station to a Jiffy Lube, picking up hours wherever he could and saving his money. He did well with Jiffy Lube, becoming a manager of the year.
For years, he worked to bring the family to the United States from India and now 22 relatives have come to America, starting one business after another.
Brar had begun taking classes at Germanna in 1999, and when some of his relatives wanted to get commercial driver’s licenses, he decided to start his CDL own school. He learned that he had already taken some of the driving, business, and English classes he needed and he returned to GCC for more.
He and his family now own trucking businesses with 40 vehicles, he says.
“Germanna was the starting point for everything,” Brar says, adding that faculty member Tina Lance was essential for him.
Brar said Lance, now Dean of Workforce Development at Germanna, encouraged him, teaching several of his business classes and helping him determine what other classes he needed to be successful. He has transferred to the University of Mary Washington, where he’s working toward a business degree.
“Over the last 22 years [since beginning to take classes at Germanna] he continued his education while working toward owning his own business,” Lance says. “Through perseverance and dedication, he graduated with an associate degree in Spring 2021 and achieved Dean’s List recognition. He is truly an example of the entrepreneurial spirit.”
Germanna President Janet Gullickson says: “Mr. Brar’s success is a testament to Germanna’s being in the community for good. Our students stay here and contribute here. We are delighted by his achievements and the accomplishments of all Germanna students.”
Original source can be found here.
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