1/1800 Jasmin Kaur

Words | Lily Fleming Layout | Corie Lies

From sophomores to seniors, one student was randomly selected to tell their story.

Twenty seven years ago, Mohan Singh emerged from India in Des Moines to help his son, Parvinder Singh set about a new restaurant. Parvinder Singh,“Baba”, was in his twenties at the time, and making his mark on the business world in the self acclaimed land of opportunity. The father and son opened the India Star Restaurant in 1997 and several years later Parvinder took own- ership in 2001.

Initially Singh’s restaurant occupied Beaver Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. Where better to share North India delicacies than Des Moines in the 90’s?

Then, in August 2006 India Star moved locations to Douglas Avenue in Des Moines, where it serves its many loyal customers.

Jasmin Kaur ‘23 sits in a blue sofa chair, in the backroom of the newspaper classroom. She wears a red and blue windbreaker, suited for the chills of

October and has a warm laugh while describing her family, interests, memories, hopes and dreams.

“My dad is like, very in the zone when he works, so I just learned not to bother him,” she said with a laugh, recalling his focus and passion in the restaurant throughout her childhood.

Born in the US, Kaur is a first generation citizen, “Yeah, so, my dad came here when he was 20, and then he moved back to India and got married to my mom, and then they both came here.”

Kaur’s family wouldn’t be where they are today without her grandpa, Mohan Singh.

“He lives in India right now, he just came here to kind of set up a foundation for my dad. He lived here a couple years and then he went back to India because all my dad’s sisters live there, and my dad, he’s the only kid that lives here,” Kaur said.

Naturally, the occupations of parents and other family members reflect what one’s youth looks like. In Kaur’s case, India Star was a major piece of this.

“My whole childhood was basically just hanging out at the restaurant because... my Uncle worked there, and I was so close with all of the workers and everything, so I’d just sit in the kitchen and watch everyone do their thing.”

Kaur looks up to her uncle.

“He’s just like the nicest person ever. Super giving, thoughtful… He worked at the restaurant for a while,” she explained.

Today, India Star is nothing short of a family business, as Kaur’s parents still own the restaurant.

“Both of them just run the restaurant. My mom mostly works in the front and my dad stays in the kitchen and makes and then there’s his sous chef and everything,” Kaur said.

Moreover, Kaur has two siblings, an older sister who is a senior at Iowa State and younger brother in 8th grade.

“My sister and I are close, my brother is, like, too young to have… personality right now. We just don’t like the same things, so we aren’t super close, but I still love him,” she explained with a laugh.

Following in the footsteps of her dad, Kaur hopes to potentially have her own business someday. While she’s not exactly sure what that will be yet, undoubtedly her experiences with business thus far will put her one step ahead.

Kaur stated on her graduation plans, “Right now my plan is to go to Iowa and do something in business, but I’m not fully sure yet.”

Graduation plans set aside, Kaur is excited but unsure of her future goals.

“… It changes everyday really. One second, I wanna be a businesswoman and do all the things my dad has done and the next moment I wanna be a vet. It’s just constantly changing,” Kaur said.

In the meantime, Kaur is set on getting through her last year of high school as a senior. A normal day for her starts off a little chaotic.

“I wake up at the latest possible time I can and rush out the door every morning to get here. And then, I don’t have very many classes, most of my day is open so I just spend it in the library,” Kaur said.

Kaur enjoys spending her time there. Otherwise, in Kaur’s free time she loves watching hockey, reading (specifically any romance books) and hiking. And, if you’re lucky enough, you may find her working at the Urbandale Hy-Vee.

JASMIN’S FAVORITES

Color - Dark green

Food - Anything from her dad’s restaurant

Animal - Dogs, especially her beagle named Zoe

Artists - The Cure, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles

Classes- AP Psych & Sociology