Sajla is the President at SILC and also teaches Hindi Level 4 class. Sajla has been associated with SILC since 2023, is well versed in Hindi and Punjabi and taught Hindi to ten kids aged 5-7 years from 2015-2017 at a local temple school in the twin cities. Born and brought up in Lucknow, India, Sajla has been in the US for over 14 years and lives in Woodbury, Minnesota for the last 12 years with her family. During her free time, Sajla explores Vedic knowledge, tries recipes and likes to go for walks. Sajla is a BS in Architecture from IIT Roorkee, India and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, India. Sajla currently works as a Senior Program Manager at the Tennant Company. 

Email me at info@silcmn.com!

Jai has been an active member of SILC for over five years, beginning his journey as a Kindergarten teacher when his children joined SILC classes. Currently serving as the Secretary on the SILC Board, Jai continues to teach both Kindergarten and cricket, while contributing to various volunteer initiatives within and outside SILC. Professionally, he works as a Senior Tech Product Manager at a leading healthcare company. Jai holds double master’s degrees—an MBA from the USA and a master’s in international business from Ireland—bringing a strong academic and professional background to his community service. Originally from Haryana, India, Jai has lived in Apple Valley for more than a decade. He is fluent in Hindi, English, and Haryanvi, and is a passionate travel enthusiast. Jai, along with his two boys, ages 13 and 9, who both play leather ball cricket, is actively involved in the cricket community around Minneapolis.

Email me at secretary@silcmn.com!

Juli first traveled to India in 2011, to adopt her daughter from Hyderabad.  They joined SILC that year, and have been enthusiastic members ever since.  She is a Lutheran pastor who has served congregations throughout the Twin Cities.  She lives in St Anthony Village with her two daughters, LiJun and Vindhya.  She enjoys reading, knitting, dancing and Indian cooking.

Leon Dmello brings over two decades of restaurant management experience in the hospitality industry where he dedicated himself to the art of service, operations, and leadership. After 22 years leading in a fast-paced, high-pressure industry, he transitioned into the field of technology. For the last few years he has been building his expertise in IT, with a special focus on networking and security.

Leon holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Studies from Rizvi College and an Associate of Science in Network and Security from Inver Hills Community College. Leon enjoys blending the people skills he learned through his work in hospitality with tech know-how to provide creative solutions to his clients.

Outside of work, Leon loves to spend time with his family in the great outdoors. Whether he’s riding his motorcycle, hiking scenic trails, or taking spontaneous family road trips, he’s always up for an adventure.

Email me at tech@silcmn.com!

In her role as the Director of Languages, Divya supports teachers of all languages offered at SILC - providing resources and responding to questions as any arise. During the 2024-25 session, she worked with Hindi teachers to review various options for textbooks and supporting materials for the instruction of Hindi language. She also referred to the ACTFL guidelines in conjunction with practices at other schools and devised an eight-level curriculum for Hindi, adapted for the needs of the SILC community. 2025-26 will be SILC's first session with the new curriculum. Divya is eager to strengthen our non-Hindi offerings and is constantly seeking volunteers to extend the breadth of choices. Marathi, Telugu and Malayalam have been possible on a fairly regular basis and we now have Bengali as well. The 2025-26 session will be focused on procuring the right textbooks for as many major languages as possible. 

Bio Coming Soon. 

Poonam has been teaching Hindi-3 for over six years at SILC and loves to pass on Indian culture and language to young kids growing up in the USA. She is grateful to SILC for providing her with the opportunity to serve and teach the new generation in a fun and easy way. She appreciates that SILC keeps the environment very entertaining and lively, with something new happening every Saturday, filled with activities and smiles everywhere. In addition to volunteering at SILC, she enjoys meditating, walking, and cooking. She works at Mahtomedi High School and lives in Maplewood with her husband Amit and their two beautiful daughters, Smriti and Yuktika, both of whom are alumni of SILC.

Swetha Avula is the Director of External Outreach at SILC, this is her seventh year at SILC. She enjoys teaching children and feels proud to be part of the wonderful SILC community. In addition to her role, Swetha has taught Dance 1 and served as a substitute for Hindi 1.

Outside of SILC, Swetha is the founder and owner of Acrylic Studio Art, where she pursues her passion for fine arts. As an artist, she specializes in vibrant, detailed works that are rich with symbolism and personal expression. Through her studio, Swetha works independently, creating and writing about her paintings. She is passionate about sharing her artistic knowledge with others and continues to connect with audiences around the world. When she’s not painting, Swetha enjoys traveling and exploring new cuisines, further fueling her creative and adventurous spirit.