An esteemed leader, a consensus builder, and a dedicated volunteer with child advocates, the literacy council, the Cultural Arts Foundation, and the Fort Bend Education Foundation
Our Bureau
Missouri City, TX
An elementary school in the US state of Texas named after Indian-American trailblazer Sonal Bhuchar was formally dedicated to her memory at an official ceremony.
The Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) Board of Trustees on Sunday unanimously approved naming the elementary school after Sonal, who died in 2019 at the age of 58 due to cancer complications.
The funding for the Sonal Bhuchar Elementary School in Missouri City, Texas was provided through a 2018 bond. Sonal was an FBISD board member, an esteemed leader, a consensus builder, and a well-respected trailblazer. She was elected to the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees for six years and served as the Board President for two years.
In 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbot appointed Sonal to the One Star National Service Commission Board which promotes volunteerism and oversees the administration of the AmeriCorps programs in Texas. Originally from Mumbai, Sonal, a professional physiotherapist, had her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Mumbai University before immigrating to Houston in 1984 with her physician husband Dr. Subodh Bhuchar.
The memorable dedication for the school named after her opened its doors in August.
The school’s mascot, a Bengal tiger named Royal, is an emblem of Bhuchar’s Indian culture. ROYAL stands for Resilient, Optimistic, Youthful, Admirable, Leader.
As you walk into the lobby of the school, a prominently placed mural on a wall, with her image alongside a quote that guided her life, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
D C Manjunath, Consul General of India, who was amongst the special guests at the event, paid his tributes and gifted the elementary school with special books on India.
Children of Sonal became emotional while giving a speech about the lessons learned from their mother, and how she spent hours volunteering the community causes without any expectations in return as she believed in doing things for good without an ego.
