Leadership Spotlight: VP Garcia and Dr. Sandhu
Celebrating Women’s History Month 2024 with Featured Leaders Across Campus
Touro University California has many remarkable women in leadership roles, each with their own role models that inspired them.
To celebrate the month, we feature profiles to celebrate the diversity and strength of women at TUC to enrich our understanding of the past but also inspire us to carve out a more inclusive and empowered future.
Andrea Garcia
Vice President of Advancement | Director of Diversity and Community Affairs
How long have you been at Touro? 12 years
Why do you feel it is it important to have women leaders on campus?
I believe there are a few reasons. For one, it brings representation and diversity, demonstrating that leadership roles are attainable regardless of gender. It also inspires other women to pursue leadership roles and break down gender stereotypes. Women leaders also brings diversity to decision-making and problem-solving processes. By presenting various perspectives, it fosters creativity and more comprehensive solutions to potential campus challenges. And lastly, it prepares students for the real world as women are increasingly taking on leadership roles in various fields.
What are your thoughts on Women's History Month?
Having a month dedicated to honoring the contributions and achievements of women across history, as well as recognizing the impact of every woman in our lives, is truly wonderful. It's a time for empowerment, solidarity, and commitment to uplifting one another, strengthening the pillar of womanhood together. And while it's crucial to mark Women's History Month for its dedicated focus on celebrating women's achievements, it's equally important to recognize that our impact is greater than just 31 days. Women are an extraordinary force of leadership, resilience, and endurance, consistently making significant contributions to society. Our collective strength and determination shape not only history but also the present and future landscape of progress and equality.
Name a woman you consider a hero and why.
As cliche as it sounds, I would name my mom as my hero. She recounted her upbringing as the daughter of a rancher, enveloped by vast acres on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina. From the tender age of 6, her days commenced with tending to animals, milking cows, and harvesting cotton from the fields. At around 12 years old, a pivotal moment occurred under the starlit sky when she yearned for something beyond her rural existence. Summoning courage from within, she approached my grandparents and requested to relocate to Buenos Aires with her aunt. And she did. Years later, driven by love, she followed my dad to America. Despite the challenges, she mastered the language, raised two daughters, attained US citizenship, and toiled through graveyard shifts before venturing into entrepreneurship, successfully managing four businesses, two of which she owned herself. Determination, strength, skill, loyalty, resilience, love, care, and a spirit of adventure – these qualities embody my mom. She is my hero.
Dr. Prabjot (Jodie) Sandhu, DNP, FNP-C, PA-C, CNL
Associate Dean for College of Education and Health Sciences & Director School of Nursing
How long have you been at Touro? 1½ years
Why do you feel it is it important to have women leaders on campus?
Leaders pave the way for success of their teams, and I strongly believe that women leaders bring diversity, alternative perspectives, and invoke wellness through a culture of caring and belonging.
What are your thoughts on Women's History Month?
Women's History Month is an opportunity to honor and recognize the many contributions, sacrifices, and triumphs of women across the globe. While history is made every day in ways big and small, and women contribute significantly to these improvements without recognition, it is important to dedicate this month to the names we know but also the names we do not know, of progressive women leaders, humanitarians, and contributors around the world!
Name a woman you consider a hero and why.
My truth and belief is that all women are hero's; for the adversity we face in our paths, the challenges we bear to be recognized as equals, the sacrifices we make to be seen in the world, and the compromises that come along with leading as a woman. A hero is not just someone who "Saves the Day" or gets to the top. Hero's help others, hero's bring light, hero's influence change, hero's give back, and I know so many, many women who are doing this every day of their lives.
More in the 2024 Series:
Dr. Karis L. Clarke and Dr. Joy Moverley