Young Leaders ask the Critical Question: Is there Enough Regulation in Society?

By Kaushiki Tewary

HOUSTON: On an early Saturday morning, YLDP students from the 2014-2015 program, which instills leadership qualities within youth, gathered at India House to gain insightfrom a truly inspiring leader in the Indian community. Dr. Hardeep Singh is a nationallyrecognized leader in research, policy and clinical practice initiatives, and is part of the Health Policy, Quality & Informatics program at the Houston Veterans Affairs Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety. With over two decades of experience in America, he shared with students his life story, struggles, and a pathway to success despite adversities. As a part of the student group, I was struck by how Dr. Singh was able to overcome the challenges of being a minority in this country, and how he stayed true to his Indian roots and beliefs.

Students were asked to split up into teams and reflect on the talk given by Dr. Singh, and my team was tasked with discussing if more policy and regulation was necessary in today’s society. While we argued on some points, we were able to say, like Dr. Singh, that policy and regulation are necessary in keeping an ethical and moral standard in society. Whether it be in the education system, in the food industry, or even the justice system — our society is plagued by questions of right and wrong. Take for example the multitude of cop shootings last year in cases like Ferguson and the Trayvon Martin case. Had there been more regulation to enact communication between the suspects and police officers, perhaps the killings could have been ultimately avoided. However, because there was a lack of regulation in part of the police officers, unarmed citizens were killed and serious questions of ethics and moral were asked.

Ultimately, students came to see the truth behind the seriousness of regulation, whether it be in society as a whole, or even in our health systems today. With Dr. Singh’s guidance, students were exposed to a whole new industry of work, and encouraged to question the reliability of the smallest facets of their lives.