January 2025

Connecting with Priyanka Kumar

By Karen Bagnard
Posted: 11/27/2023

For those who were present at Priyanka’s presentation at the Village office on November 8 and for all who missed it, I hope to give you a deeper view of this lovely woman who juggles all the volunteers, volunteer requests and the computing of volunteer hours for Pasadena Village.  She is a woman with a deep love of her Indian heritage and at the same time is very American.

Priyanka has had the advantage of growing up speaking not one language only, but English, Hindi and Punjabi.  She has always kept one foot in each culture, both American and Indian. While this is certainly enriching, it has at times left her feeling “not enough” in either one.  But she also sees that as a small price to pay for the rich cultural life she has.

As a child, Priyanka says, she hated her name. When she was very young she announced to her parents that her name was “Kiki.” And so it was … at least for a time.

Priyanka received her education at UCLA and has spent most of her career working with children, from pre-K to teens, and with autistic children. While volunteering at Families Forward, she heard about the opening at Pasadena Village and decided she would like working with older adults. Her background made her an excellent fit as Volunteer Coordinator, as she understands the unique value volunteering has in the Village concept.

Along with Priyanka, the Village also has the help and support of Bryan, her fiancé. They are destined to make a remarkable team and, should they be blessed with children, what a rich blend of cultures this couple will have!