My Projects
I May Be Small but I Am a Lion At Heart
By Naunihal "Nihal" Gill
I May Be Small but I Am a Lion at Heart is a short, rhyming children's book narrated by a premature baby in the NICU. The baby's encouraging words to his mom gives positivity and courage to parents who often experience an emotional roller coaster watching their little ones hooked up to monitors, tubes, and lying in incubators in the NICU.
The importance of reading to your premature baby:
Reading to these little ones can ease the intense and long hospitalization required for most premature babies. Reading to your preemie plays a vital role in their mental and cognitive development. When parents read to their preemies, voice recognition helps parents form a bond with their baby and aids in language development and advanced reading skills in childhood and adolescent years.
Former NICU Patient
Nihal Gill's Book Dedication to Doctors Medical Center
We have a heartwarming story for you! 17-year-old Naunihal “Nihal” Gill is a student at Turlock High School. Born prematurely at 27.5 weeks, Nihal spent the first two and a half months of his life in the Level III NICU at Doctors Medical Center.
After hearing his mother recount their shared NICU experience after his birth, he was inspired to write a children's book to help alleviate the worry and anxiety of parents with preemies. Nihal hopes the book provides emotional strength and comfort to parents and serves as a bonding tool for parents and babies in the NICU.
Nihal and his mother visited Doctors Medical Center to donate several signed copies of his book, which is dedicated to the NICU team.
Scholar of TUSD
We are excited to recognize our first "Scholar of TUSD" Turlock High School senior Nihal Gill. You may have heard about Nihal as the Turlock Journal ran an article about his recent book, "I May Be Small but I am Lion at Heart" about his experience as a premature baby in the NICU.
Nihal is a four-year member of the THS Speech and Debate team and his instructor Michele Van Nieuwenhiyzen shared, "When I heard about Nihal’s book I was excited to share it with our Speech and Debate class! Nihal has been a member of our team throughout high school and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate his success!"
Nihal is also a member of the boy's golf team and is looking forward to graduating and attending college where he hopes to pursue a major in science. Congrats, Nihal!
A Lion at Heart
Turlock High senior Nihal Gill has penned a book with the goal of bringing hope to parents of premature babies. A former patient in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Doctors Medical Center, Gill used his and his family’s own experiences as the inspiration for the project.
“The idea came about that as I was growing older, my mom would tell me stories of the emotional roller coaster of when I was a baby”, said Gill.
Born prematurely at 27.5 weeks, Gill spent the first two and a half months of his life in the Level III NICU at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. Gill said he hoped the book would help alleviate the worry and anxiety of parents with preemies.
Design Thinking
Project Spark continues to provide STEM education to students in grades sixth through eighth at the Ceres Community Center with a focus on Robotics and is also excited to add Design Thinking to their classes, where students will focus on skills needed to bring their creativity, imagination, and entrepreneurial ideas to the next level.
The goal of "Project Spark" is to educate the children in the five-step process of Design Thinking in their projects: empathize, define the problem, ideate by brainstorming, prototyping, and testing the final product.
STEM Education
Innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking
Nihal Gill, the founder of Project Spark, comes back this spring with something a little different for the kids in the Ceres community. Project Spark is a non-profit whose mission is to reach out to kids in underprivileged areas where STEM, robotics, or more critical thinking processes like design thinking are overlooked and yet highly valued in urban areas like the Bay Area.
The monthly classes will include guest speakers from engineering and robotic industries with hands-on projects and supplies and materials for students to incorporate Design Thinking in resolving and problem-solving to produce the final product of STEM subjects. Students will learn to empathize, define the problem, and ideate by brainstorming, prototyping, and testing the final product.
Turlock Golf Takes Home League
A second consecutive undefeated regular season has earned the Turlock High School boys golf team a back-to-back Central California Athletic League title and a Division II CIF-Sac-Joaquin section championship.
The Bulldogs began their big winning spree on May 2 when at the CCAL championship tournament by the Creekside Golf Course in Modesto. They were led by Clark Van Gaalen, who shot a course-best 69. Teammate Christian Maggard came in only three strokes behind with an impressive 72. The trio of Keean Young, Elias Rabine, and Nihal Gill each shot an identical score of 76 while Grant Old pitched in with an 83. Combined, the team of six put up a score of 369 to clinch another undefeated season.
Being a Teen Entrepreneur
14-year-old Graciela interviewed by Diya Hitvalli and Nihal Gill
Dreams begin early for almost everyone, but it takes passion, belief, and determination to turn a dream into a reality. Teen hosts Diya Hitvalli and Nihal Gill interview 14-year-old, Graciela, a visionary who possesses the natural talent and a drive that is far beyond her years. Her upbeat mature, and insightful perspective and heart are qualities that set her apart in her journey to achieve her goals. She talks about becoming a recording artist at a young age and the determination, passion, and hard work that being an entrepreneur entails. She just released her first single, Seize the Day, and credits her family for being her guiding light. Diya discusses the benefits of being a teen entrepreneur and outlines a road map for everyone to achieve their goals. She launched an app, KeepMeSafe. Nihal shares a favorite poem, Lessons of Entrepreneurship, and provides ways for teens to start a business they’ll enjoy. Entrepreneurship is the ability to run and organize a business and make a profit even if you face obstacles on the way. An entrepreneur is defined as a person who has the drive to establish a business that they can run and venture along with the risk. Be willing to work hard, avoid the naysayers, and follow your dream. Then Seize the Day! Carpe diem.
The Art of Perseverance
Hosted by The Express Yourself!™ STAR On-Air Teen Team
Perseverance is tenacity, persistence, better-than-average drive, holding firmly to beliefs, and never giving up. Host Andrea Smith reads Cynthia Brian’s chapter, The Gift of Perseverance, from her book, Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference.
Newest reporter Nihal Gill encourages teens to turn off the screen, get up, and move. Even though it may be tempting to be a couch potato, it is necessary to set up some exercise regimen and always persevere and push yourself to feel great and healthy. Andrea interviews Judith Peck, an accomplished artist, sculptor, professor, and author of several books.
They discuss two of her books, Sculpture as Experience, an excellent guide to creating sculpture, and her new novel, Naked Under the Lights, A fascinating look at the world as artists perceive it—including the painful self-doubt and driving need to express the inexpressible. The takeaway: Persistence prevails!
Career Highlights
