Board Member Spotlights

Getting your green card is life changing.  Literacy is life changing. And together, those two things can shape an entirely new future for someone. -Shehal Batra

The Community Partner Award is given to an individual or organization which provides extraordinary support in collaborating with LVSC. On June 10, 2026, the Community Partner Award was presented to Snehal Batra of NPZ Law Group in Raritan, NJ.

Snehal is an immigration attorney who joined the LVSC Board in 2021. In addition to Snehal’s dedication to providing literacy support to the community, it is her expertise on immigration law that has been an invaluable resource for our tutors, our students, and our community.

In receiving her award, Snehal said,

Our immigration system has gone through tremendous change...I can say with certainty that it has never been more complex, more difficult, or more heartbreaking. That’s why I’ve been so proud to collaborate with LVSC. I’ve provided tutor training on immigration basics to help make an incredibly confusing system just a little bit clearer...We’ve hosted workshops at libraries and offered free consultations during LVSC student assessments. These efforts are deeply meaningful to me.

Snehal worked with our Somerset County Library System partners to provide in-person Naturalization workshops that our volunteers, staff, and students attended. She also volunteered to conduct two immigration webinars, one geared to students in the process of becoming U.S. citizens and a more general one geared to tutors and the general community. They were both well attended and are now available as a resource on LVSC’s YouTube Channel.

Snehal is always available by phone or email to answer questions that our staff get from volunteers and students. She has spoken pro bono with our students in moments of need. We even set up a desk for her during our English assessment test sessions so that new students had the opportunity to ask questions and have conversations that were confidential and trustworthy.

Addressing a room full of people, including her mom, Snehal said,

My passion for this work is also personal. I am an immigrant. I was born in India and came to the United States when I was five years old.  My parents sacrificed so much and faced countless challenges to build a better life and create opportunities for my brother and me. From them, I learned the value of hard work and the importance of living with purpose. It’s this legacy that drives me every single day.

And that’s why this partnership with LVSC means so much. Together, we are not just providing services, we’re changing lives, strengthening our community, and creating hope. 

In presenting the Community Partner Award, LVSC's Program & Events Manager, Susan Engelstein thanked Snehal for her invaluable assistance. "With all that our students have been facing this year, we are grateful that we have Snehal as a trusted resource for our community.  A huge thank you, to you and your team, Natalie Botello and Karen Ledesma, for being generous with your time and expertise.  You are a true partner and friend to LVSC."